Knowing God goes beyond saying His name . . .

 

Name-dropping is the practice of casually mentioning the names of famous people as if they are friends, done usually to impress others. It is considered snobbish or a pathetic attempt to be seen and admired. If I tried to do that with the Lord, I would be breaking the second of the ten commandments:

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. (Exodus 20:7)

Not only that, it would reveal that I do not know Him at all. This is a total violation of Bible teaching that God’s purpose is that we really know Him, not know of Him, not think of Him as a casual friend, or as a genie in the heavens to grant our wishes, or an angry being with a big club of judgment. Truly knowing Him dispels all rumors and lies about His nature and character:

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17:3)

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me. (John 10:14)

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (1 John 5:20)

As MacArthur writes, my desire to know God should motivate me in fervent prayer like it did these men of God:

Now therefore, if I (Moses) have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight . . . . (Exodus 33:13)

Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind . . . . (1 Chronicles 28:9)

Indeed, I (Paul) count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith — that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death . . . . (Philippians 3:8–10)

This passion to know God is the driving force behind prayer. Those who know God pray most often and most fervently because the more that He is known, the greater our confidence to ask great things and serve in increasing devotion.

The passage about spiritual armor adds prayer as the result of wearing it. I will be “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication . . . keeping alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18) because my knowledge of God is vital. Knowing each piece of armor reveals knowledge of His character, what He has done, and what His will is for this world and those He has created.

This is similar to knowing other people. When I do, I know their history, their values, their likes and dislikes, even their secrets. The difference is that knowing people includes knowing their weaknesses and failures, but when it comes to knowing God, there is none of those! He is all powerful and nothing can thwart His ability or determination to do whatever He desires.

His desire is that “none should perish” and knowing that ought to fill me with the same desire so that I will pray for those who do not know His saving power and be ready to share the Gospel with them as God gives opportunity. Knowing God means living for what is important to Him.

PRAY: Jesus, grant me a greater desire to know You, and a deeper desire to be like You, desires that make a difference in my prayer life.

PONDER: The importance of knowing God intimately, and practicing all the biblical ways of seeking Him.