Press On to Know Him

Hosea 6:3a, ESV

Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD;

And 6:6b,NLT

I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.

Ephesians 1:17, NIV

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

Last week we talked about the fact that in order to know ourselves, we must know God.

In fact, God wants us to know Him. The God who created the universe not only invites us to know Him, but desires for us to know Him.

So we must press on to know God. 

The phrase press on probably sounds familiar because Paul uses that phrase in Philippians 3:12-14 when he talks about pressing on to reach the finish line of faith. And the phrase really means the same thing in both the Hebrew (Old Testament) and the Greek (New Testament)—to pursue.

We are to pursue knowing God—not a knowing about God, but a knowing of God. 

God reveals Himself to us with the measure that we pursue Him. 

All over the Bible, God promises that He will be found when He is sought—not because He’s hiding, but because He blesses the pursuit.

As we seek God, we see God. 

As we practice spiritual disciplines involved in pursuing God (worship, prayer, Bible reading, fasting, etc.), our spiritual senses become heightened. So the more we pursue God, the more we perceive God. 

And the fullness of our lives on earth—peace, freedom, passion, joy, purpose—depends on the depth of our knowledge of/relationship with God. We may be able to get to Heaven having had a surface-level relationship with God, but the measure of our fullness of life on earth will be in direct proportion to the measure of the depth of our relationship with God.

Oh Lord, thank You that we can know You! Please light a new fire of desire and resolve in our hearts to pursue You more. We want to know you more. We want all You have for our lives on this side of Heaven, so give us a deeper knowing of you. Amen.