Knowing God

Over the past two weeks, we have heard from the pulpit that God knows us. We are known by God. Not just on a surface level, first name basis, but rather deeply and intimately known. But, I desire to flip that the other way onto us. Do we know God as He knows us? Is our relationship heavily one sided? You see, I love NBA basketball, and my favorite player is Kyrie Irving. I know a lot about him. I know what high school and college he went to, every NBA team he has played for (and in what order), his three-point percentage, field goal percentage, and his workout routine. I know all of this about Kyrie Irving, and yet the reality is that he does not know I exist, and therefore knows nothing about me.

The point I wish to make is, just because I know so much about a Kyrie, does not mean that we are close. It takes both parties involved to have a close relationship. A husband may know his wife inside and out, yet if she knows next to nothing about him, we would argue that the relationship is not close. We have heard that God is clearly doing His part in knowing us (Psalm 139:1-2, 1 Peter 1:2) but, are we holding up our end of the relationship? Do we know God deeply and intimately? As the old saying goes: it takes two to tango.

How do we know more about God? How can we put in effort to know Him deeper? I believe there are three primary means to achieve this: prayer, Scripture reading, and fellowship. Below are just some brief words on each.

Prayer

When we bow our heads and close our eyes, we are entering into the presence of God. From there, we are simply engaging with Him in conversation. Here on earth, what is the best way to get to know someone? You talk to them! Prayer is just that, it is us talking with God and learning more about Him. His Word says that He desires us to pray and talk to Him! He is eager to have conversations with you. You cannot hope to know God deeper, and not pray.

Scripture Reading

We believe that God primarily speaks through His Word. Each page of the Bible is filled with God moving and acting in the lives of His people. As we read more and more of the Bible, our knowledge and understanding of Him increases. We learn about His character, attributes, likes, dislikes, and so much more through reading the Scriptures. You cannot hope to know God deeper, and not read the Bible.

Fellowship

Spending time with other Christians at church is vital to our spiritual lives for so many reasons. One of them being that the church is full of people who have been radically changed by God, and are also looking to grow in knowing Him. The Church is the bride of Christ, and just like on earth, if you want to know someone better, talking to the spouse helps in better understanding. With spending time with Christ’s bride, you are exposed to prayer, the Bible, communion, baptism, and many other things that aid in deepening our knowledge of God. You cannot hope to know God deeper, and not fellowship with other believers.

Conclusion

I ended each of those short sections with the same phrase because I firmly believe it. These things are how we dedicate ourselves to God. It is how we show effort in our relationship with Him. Again, God knows us deeply and intimately. And I don’t know about you, but if I knew of someone who knows every little thing about me (good and bad), and they still loved me so much that they died for me, then that is a person worth knowing better.