“Moses said to the Lord: Behold, you say to me: Bring up this people! And you do not let me know who you will send with me. However, you said: I know you by name, and you have found favor in my eyes. Now, if I have found favor in your sight, shew me your ways; then I will know you, and I will still find favor in your eyes. Consider this nation to be your people. The LORD said, I will walk with you and give you rest. Moses said to him: If you do not yourself go with us, do not send us away from here. How then can it be certain that I and your people have found favor in your sight? Will it not be when you walk with us, and when we are distinguished, I and your people, from all the peoples that are on the face of the earth? The LORD said to Moses, I will do what you ask of me, for you have found favor in my eyes, and I know you by your name. Moses said: Show me your glory! The LORD said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; I have mercy on whom I have mercy, and mercy on whom I have mercy” (Exodus 33:12-19).
Moses knew God.
The apostle Paul gave this testimony:
“For my part, I believed I had to act vigorously against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This is what I did in Jerusalem. I threw several of the saints into prison, having received this power from the chief priests, and when they were put to death, I added my vote to that of the others. I often chastised them in all the synagogues, and I forced them to blaspheme. In my excess of fury against them, I even persecuted them even in foreign cities.
For this purpose I went to Damascus, with the authority and permission of the chief priests. Towards the middle of the day, O king, I saw on the way a light shining around me and my companions, coming from the sky, the brightness of which surpassed that of the sun. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language: Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It would be hard for you to kick back against the goads. I answered: Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said: I am Jesus whom you persecute. But arise, and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you to make you a minister and a witness of the things which you have seen and of those for which I will appear to you. I have chosen you from among this people and from among the Gentiles, to whom I have sent you, that you may open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that through faith in me they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance with those who are sanctified”. (Acts 26:9-18).
So Paul began with a personal knowledge of the Lord. After several fresh encounters with the Lord, he said:
“That I may know Christ, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to him in death, that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10-11)
Paul knew the Lord and longed to know Him more. His service to the Lord flowed from his acquired and growing knowledge of the Lord.
Many believers today worship “The Unknown God.” Many never sought Him until He revealed Himself to them. Many do not know Him. For many others, sin is a wonderful attraction because they have never looked upon the all-glorious face of the Eternal Father, nor heard His sweet voice. Their faith is more or less a theory. God seems absent or at best, withdrawn.
- Do you know God?
- When did you personally meet Him?
- When was your last meeting with Him?
The greatest need of the hour is for saints who know God.
ISBN: 978235774040T