Knowing God

"...if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God" Proverbs 2:3-5 (NKJ).

Have you ever prayed, "God, please make me a woman (or man) after your own heart?" Or maybe you've said, "Lord, I want to know you!" In my personal experience, having prayed both of these prayers countless times, I would often wonder, "but how?" The answer is found in the verses above. Don't just ask for discernment, "CRY OUT" for it. This does not mean you have to shout for God to hear you. Far from it. He knows what we need even before we ask (Matthew 6:31-34). I think the idea being conveyed here, especially since "crying out" and "lifting up your voice" are followed by "seek" and "search" as if you were hunting for something of great value, is that we should be making an effort to know God. Not just a little effort, but a huge effort. This should be the number one priority in our lives. There are many passages throughout scripture that say that if we truly seek God, we WILL (not might) find Him. Take a look at Jeremiah 29:11-14, James 4:8, Psalm 84:2, and 2 Chronicles 30:18-20.

And how do we seek Him? Listening to what He has to say is a great start. God's Word, the Bible, is a large book filled with things God wants us to know about Him, about us, and about others. Reading His word is one great way to seek God. Another way is to spend time with His people. Often I learn a great deal by listening to what others have to say. They will notice things that I never had before. Since God's people are the body of Christ, God uses them to show each of us more about His character. (A side note here. The Word of God does not lie, but sometimes humans, with all good intention, will tell you things that are not true, so always compare what they say to what God has already said in His word. See Galations 1:8)

God promises that when we seek Him with all of our hearts, we will find Him (review Jeremiah 29:13). And Proverbs 2 tells us that if we seek hard after Him and cry out for understanding, we will then "understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God."