The Secret to Knowing God

How to walk in deeper intimacy with your Creator

Deep down, I truly believe every Christian wants to experience a deeply personal and intimate relationship with God. And I also believe each and every believer in Christ can have this kind of relationship with their Creator.

But there is often a problem in how we approach God. We often go to Him looking for rewards… or we’re constantly asking Him for things. Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t go to God with our cares and burdens. In fact, He tells us in 1 Peter 5:7 to tell Him about our concerns because He cares so much for us. 

But if you want to know God… I mean, really know Him… there is another prayer He wants to hear from you. It’s a prayer like the one we hear Moses pray in Exodus 33:13. 

In my mind, this is one of the greatest prayers in all of Scripture:

“Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight.”

Moses didn’t just say, “Come with us, God” but he said, “Show me Your way because, God, I want to know You.” And then Moses added to it in Exodus 33:18, when He said, “Please, show me Your glory.”

The Hebrew word for “glory” literally means “weight, mass, or substance.” So in essence Moses is saying, “God, I want to know what You’re made of. I don’t just want to know about You. I want to know You. I want to know who You are.”

The word that Moses used when he said he wanted to know God is the same word that’s used in Genesis 4:1 where it says, “Adam knew Eve his wife.” Moses is requesting to have the most personal, intimate relationship with God. He wants to draw close to God.

Friend, prayers like that touch the heart of God because not too many people pray them!

I read a story about Abraham Lincoln that took place during the Civil War. A woman actually came to the White House and somehow got in with a plate full of cookies.

When she finally got through to the president, she said, “Mr. President, I don’t want anything at all. I was just thinking about you today and the load that you are carrying… and I just thought maybe some cookies would brighten up your day.”

Lincoln began to weep and said, “Madam, I see a great many people every day, and they want a great many things from me. But of all the people I’ve seen since being in office, you are the first one that has ever come not asking something of me but wanting to bring something to me.” 

While God delights in answering our prayer, He also desires for us to bring something to Him. But how often do we... do you… come just to bring Him something? 

It’s the kind of prayer that says, “God, I want to know You. I just want to hang out. I want to find out who You are. Show me what You are made of.”

Friend, I think we can all know God in a personal and intimate way… just like Moses did… the way Paul did… even the way Abraham did. 

Paul cried out in Philippians 3:10, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection.” And Abraham discovered what God meant when He said in Genesis 15:1, “I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”

Life is about knowing God! So let me challenge you today to pray a prayer like this:

God, show me who You are. I’m not coming with a request. I’ve got a long list, but I’ll leave it outside the door for now. God, I’m just coming to You because I want to know You. I just want to make Your heart happy. I want to make You smile. God, show me Your ways.

Doing this will delight the heart of God! And you’ll be surprised at some of the things that begin to happen within your life when you pray this prayer. Because I truly believe God is crying out, saying “Oh, that they walk in My ways!” 

He wants you to know Him today!