Knowing Him

A pursuit of God that is just intellectual isn’t a relationship because there is no interaction or communication. It is in interaction with God that we are changed. Knowing what the Word says is extremely important, but we should never limit God. He has more for us than intellectual knowledge. God created us to “know” Him intimately. To be intimate, there must be interaction. Since God is the Word, He communicates with us through it. We have a relationship with the Word.
 
Knowing God mirrors the physical intimacy of marriage—the becoming of one between a husband and wife. Such a relationship has no fear of condemnation or shame. It has the freedom of honesty because it trusts. It is deeply personal and vulnerable. Most of all, it is safe. You can have this kind of intimate relationship with God where you can be vulnerable because you know you are safe. 
 
Safety is found in surrender. When you surrender to God, you are declaring that you trust him. You can be honest with Him, exposing all your fears and failures. He rejoices in your honesty. He doesn’t shame or condemn you. You belong to Him. God calls you to experience knowing Him. He has made the first move toward you with the finished work of the cross. He is waiting for your surrender.
 
God reveals the things we need to let go of to experience His goodness. Surrendering to Him unlocks your heart to receive from Him. It is the same as in marriage. Surrendering to your spouse allows intimacy to grow, and surrendering to God allows deeper intimacy.
 
“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). 
 
This is God’s promise. What God says He means. He doesn’t play games with you. He follows through with what He promises. But His promise involves your response. When you search for Him with all your heart, you will find Him. God desires all of you—not a spur-of-the-moment you. He doesn’t want you distracted by anything that keeps you from Him. God isn’t vague about you. His love for you is intentional, and He desires the same from you.
 
When you intentionally seek God, you will become so acutely aware of Him that your heart becomes interwoven with His. You will know without a doubt what breaks His heart because it breaks yours, and you will know what brings Him joy because it brings you joy.
 
Don’t you want to have a heart like this? A heart that is intimately one with His?
 
Paul writes in Philippians 3:10: “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”
 
Every aspect of my life should revolve around knowing Jesus intimately and personally. In this verse, Paul takes knowing Jesus even further. Paul wants to know the power of His resurrection. It is only in intimacy with Jesus do we experience His resurrection power working in us. And it is only in intimacy that we understand the persecution He experienced for us. I want a deep personal relationship with the Lord that releases His life and power through me into the lives of others. I can only find this relationship when I surrender completely to Him. 
 
This is the intentional purpose Paul writes about in Philippians 3. Do I press on toward the goal of knowing Him? Do I surrender myself, my struggles, doubts, fears, and desires so that I might know God intimately? The more I seek Him, the more I know Him. The more I know Him, the more He reveals Himself to me.

Lord, I don’t want to limit myself from receiving the best You have for me. I want to experience You. I want Your profound truths to be revealed in my heart, and I want my heart to mirror Yours. Reveal each thing that holds me hostage to myself. Reveal each lie that I have believed, and I will surrender it to You. I pursue You, Jesus. I surrender all I am. I rest in your finished work. You, O God, are MY Father. I trust in You.
 
—He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
—Psalms 91:1-2
 

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