Just before entering the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said in John17:3(Amp), "And this is eternal Life: it means to know, perceive, recognize, become acquainted with and understand You, the Only True and Real God."
Although Heaven and being in a place of God's Glory for all eternity are part of the Blessing, Knowing and walking with God on this side of Heaven in the intimacy of His great Love and Wisdom, are of great importance. Many have received Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but still don't "know" Him and the Father Who sent Him.
Paul writes in Phil3:10(Amp), "For my determined purpose is that I may know Him, that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him; perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and move clearly, and that I might in the same way come to know the Power outflowing from His Resurrection which it exerts over believers, and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed in spirit into His Likeness even to His death in hope; That if possible I may attain to the spiritual and moral Resurrection that it lifts me out from among the dead even while in the body."
Many saved children of God only have a secondhand acquaintance with the Father. We've been taught and heard many things that if we truly "knew" Him, then we would never believe. Religion, with its carnal thinking and understanding, have only distorted the real natural and character of our Heavenly Father.
The only "natural" Image of our Father, is the Man, Christ Jesus. Even after seeing Him in the flesh and as a Man, we're still unsure and view the Father as being an altogether different and separate Being. We still can't distinguish the differences between the old and new covenant Father. God dealt with the persons of the old covenant, who were spiritually dead, in a different way that He does with those of us who are Alive in Christ. If we can't do this, then we will be hindered in knowing Him. If we think our Father puts sickness and trials on His children, then we don't really know Him. We know Who He really is, when we spend time in conversation and fellowship with Him. We must sit at His table, hear and learn from Him. in order to overcome the misconceptions we have of Him.
We can't really know anyone, unless we have spent time with that person. If we don't know the Father, then our prayers aren't based in faith, because we don't know if He will answer them. When we know Him and learn what His will is for us, then we will pray in confidence. 1John5:14-15(Amp) says, "And this is the confidence, the assurance, the privilege of boldness which we have in Him; we are sure that if we ask anything, make any request according to His will, in agreement with His Own Place, He listens to and hears us. And if since we positively know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know with settled and absolute knowledge that we have granted us as our present possessions the requests made of Him."
This is a prayer of faith and not the "shoot the moon" kind of praying full of uncertainty it will come to pass. Gal.5:6(Amp) says, "For if we are in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through Love." When we know Him, we know the Love He has for us, which gives us confidence in Him." 1John4:16(Amp) says, "And we know, understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience, and believe, adhere to and put faith in and rely on the Love God cherishes for us. God is Love, and those who continue and dwell in love, dwells and continues in God; and God dwells and continues in Him."
Knowing God is knowing His Love. Most of us see God's Love through the natural love we have for one another. Man's love is fragile and can be lost by an unkind action or wrongdoing against us. God's Love is based on His Own Nature and Character. God's Love "never failed." We will know the Father and the Fullness of His Love, by spending time with Him in personal fellowship and intimacy. God's children must talk with Him and ask questions of Him, while listening to Him and learning from Him.
If we don't ask questions, then we won't get the answer. If we don't His will, then we won't be confident that He answers our prayers. Jesus said, "My sheep know My Voice." This comes by personally spending time and fellowshiping in His Presence. God' Word, Jesus, is God's will and we can learnt to know God watching Jesus in the natural and seeing Him in the Word.
We must not rely on the opinion someone else has about God's Word and will. We must spend time in His Word and Presence for ourselves. Is God the One Who puts sickness, tries and tests us, in order to teach us something? Or, is He the One Who put all that on Jesus for us, so He could deal with us by His Spirit and Word? Jesus came to do the Father's will. Did He ever make someone sick, put hardship on someone or tell someone that their sickness "came from God?" Did Jesus ever put the Curse of the Law on the people? No, Jesus said He came to preach the Blessing, healing and liberty from the Law and the Curse, quoting Isaiah 61 in Luke 4. Gal.3 tells us that "He bore the Curse of the Law, so the Blessing could come upon us." 2Tim.3:16 tells us that, "God now directs, corrects, convicts, and teaches us by His Word."
We must learn to know Him, so we can walk in the Fullness of His Love, in unbroken fellowship with Him, even while we're here in this world. Jesus said in John17:3(Amp), "And this is Eternal Life; it means to know, perceive, recognize, become acquainted with and understand You, the only True and Real God." It's up to every individual to know Him. He wants to know us.
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