Knowing God
Exodus 33:12-15 (NASB95)12 Then Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people!’ But You Yourself have not let me know whom You will send with me. Moreover, You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ 13 “Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people.” 14 And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.[1]
It is important, not that you know ABOUT God, but that you KNOW God. You may know about Abraham Lincoln, but you don’t know Abraham Lincoln—he is dead and gone. The question is not, do you know ABOUT the God of the Bible, or even the God who exists now, but DO YOU KNOW HIM?
To know Him is to love Him and to love Him is to trust Him, and to trust Him is to obey Him, and to obey Him is to be blessed. We need to be blessed and therefore we need to know God intimately. Is God a living reality to you?
Moses entreated of God, “let me know Your ways that I may know You…” The difference between knowing the ways of God and the acts of God will make a difference in your heart and life. You see so many people know simply the acts of God. They see what God does, but they don’t know the ways of God—they don’t know who God is. If all you see are the acts of God and you don’t know the ways of God, you are to be pitied.
We must remember the entire purpose of the Bible, the entire purpose of God sending His son is to reconcile a lost man to a loving God. He is holy, just and righteous, but the motive of ALL is a right relationship with His crowning creation. He Loves you so much that He sent His only Son to die in your place.
Bible study will give you knowledge ABOUT God. It is not until you obey that you begin to know God.
Father God, I pray that you I will not be content until I know You intimately—until I know your heart. I pray I will not go anywhere You do not lead. May Your presence go with me as You did with Moses, and may You give my inner spirit the peace and rest of knowing I am in Your will.
In Jesus Name. Amen
[1] New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
