HOW TO KNOW GOD BETTER - PART 1

To know someone better requires relationship. To become an important part of any person's life, it can start from casual friendship to deeper interests. For instance, if you meet someone on the way newly, you may end up connecting to that individual and want to get to know them better. But knowing someone better can't happen overnight. There must be a constant communication that will deepen your relationship with the person. So is our personal relationship with God.

Reference: Ephesians 1:16 -17 New International Version (NIV) "I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 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."

God is a loving Father and He's all about relationship. Just like humans, by establishing interest, opening up to any person you regard or hold in high esteem, and deepening your relationship, you can get to know that person better. For instance, if you want to meet someone who is in a position of authority, it may require an official letter of appointment. Once you are given that letter, you have a chance to meet with the individual in person and discuss further interests. This is also the case with someone who wants to invite a relative or friend to come and visit them in another country. Their relative or friend may need an invitation letter and a visa, before they can travel to see their loved ones. So you may not be able to connect to the person without both; they can be the missing elements.

This is the idea apostle Paul was trying to communicate in his letter to the faithful saints who were in Ephesus. We have a distinguished and peculiar relationship with God, and in this relationship, He is our Father in heaven, but we are on earth. To know Him better we need two important influences: the Spirit of wisdom and the Spirit of revelation. Remember I earlier mentioned that its like giving someone two important things to visit and get to know you better.

So Paul wrote, "I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 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". Beloved, to know God better, He needs to grant you the Spirit of wisdom and that of revelation. You can never meet God on the way by chance or see Him in a shopping mall. This is because God is a Spirit. Therefore, He has to give you an appointment in a way. By this, I don't mean that the Spirit of wisdom and revelation are reduced to appointment letter for real. It is used here as an analogy to simplify what Paul meant.

Since we can't meet God on the way by chance, He gives us His Spirit of wisdom and revelation in order to encounter the real essence of His person. Paul knew this because after He was arrested by the Lord Jesus from heaven, a man named Ananias came to see him. According to the Scripture, Ananias said to Paul: "The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth" (Acts 22:14 NIV). The Apostle knew what is required to know God and His will, and to encounter Him. It is the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. When God gives you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, you will know Him better with a deeper understanding.

We can have a general or spiritual knowledge of God because we've studied some books and heard about Him but having a personal encounter with God and understanding His truths in a deeper way by experience are a totally different thing. That's what the Holy Spirit does for us because He is actually the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation. He manifests Himself through both media. He helps us to relate to the God of the Word by experience. And Paul is addressing this through prayer so that the saints in Ephesus might have such deeper understanding of God Himself. Stay tuned for part two of this wonderful topic. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Jeremiah 9:23-24; John 17:3; Philippians 3:10; 2 Peter 3:18.

Guided Prayer: Thank you Father for letting me experience who you are through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of wisdom and of revelation help me to ascend, connect and relate to you in an intimate way. Thank you for the gift of spiritual illumination and the ability to comprehend the revealed. In all I do, my reaction and response to your knowledge remains true with perfect understanding and deep insight. In seeking to know you more, I find the meaning of life and peace in Jesus' Name, Amen!