Yesterday morning, I sought to stir your hearts to make knowing God the starting point and beating pulse of your hearts. I trust that this was done even if in a little way. Basically, what I did was the what, not the how of knowing God… permit me to share a few thoughts on what the latter looks like. 

Before I do this, let me reiterate a very vital and foundational point which is, God is both knowable and worthy of every ounce of time and energy spent in knowing Him. This follows clearly from the exclusive terms used to describe Him; what the old writers called the ‘solitariness of God.’ Or you might say, ‘the apartness of God.’

Here are a few verses making the point:

To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare with Him?
— Isaiah 40:18

“There is no one holy like the Lord,
Indeed, there is no one besides You,
Nor is there any rock like our God.
— 1 Samuel 2:2

“Who is like You among the gods, O Lord?
Who is like You, majestic in holiness,
Awesome in praises, working wonders?
— Exodus 15:11

He said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart,
— 1 Kings 8:23

In summary, God is like no other and thus exclusively and preeminently worthy of our devotion and worship. If anything is worth knowing, it is the knowledge of God. And if anyone is worth knowing, it is God.

So to the how… the primary means God has given by which His elect may know Him and live in constant fellowship with Him is His Holy Word. God has revealed Himself generally in nature and savingly (or specially) in His word (Psalm 19); and this Word He commends to us as that which we cannot live without (Matthew 4:4).

If we are going to know God in the truest sense of what it means to know Him, it will only come about with a healthy relationship with our Bibles. Publicly, we must be devoted to the faithful preaching of Scripture and Bible studies, and privately, we must be given to regular reading and meditation on it.

How sweet are Your words to my taste!
Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
— Psalm 119:103

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
— Philippians 4:8

Consider the choice words of Paul and you’ll realize that only one fits the description. 

The second means by which we know God is through prayer. Prayer has been rightly described as the breathing of the soul after God. It is the conjoined twin of a thoroughgoing devotion to Scripture. The one who truly reads and meditates on Scripture will always be moved to pray. And it is in prayer that the awakened soul gives full expression to its being alive to God. J.I Packer is right when he says we must learn to measure ourselves, not by our knowledge about God, not by our gifts and responsibilities in the church, but by how we pray and what goes on in our hearts. 

Nothing gets more intimate than private prayer. As our Lord taught, "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."
— Matthew 6:6

Key phrase, “… your Father who sees what is done in secret…”

This must not be thought of as nullifying the public prayer meeting… both are given by our Father as a means for our individual and corporate fellowship with Him.

May the Lord bless, to your respective hearts, your consideration of these things. Amen.

Yours in Christ,
Osinachi