What does it mean to know God? What does it look like to worship him with a whole heart? These are questions that need to be wrestled with and contemplated. Through my own wrestling with these questions I have come to understand it is hard give my whole heart to God if I don’t know him.

Knowing comes before giving.

Jeremiah 24:7 (ESV) says, “I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.”

How then do we get to know him? In this verse from Jeremiah the Lord proclaims that he will give us a heart to know him. He has given us the scriptures, the Bible as a map and a guidebook for growing in knowledge of who He is.

Have you ever noticed the more you get to know a friend the more you understand your own character and personality? We often see ourselves in other people. Through human relationships we can also develop a greater understanding not only of self, but also of God. The same is true of developing a relationship with God. The more we know Him, the more we see how He wired us and gifted us, and that He possesses those talents as well.

In recent years, as my journey changed from a sideline faith to an on the field player, my relationship has changed from a passive observer to active participant. I have come to know him by reading His word, and looking for Him in every verse on every page. I have come to know Him through dissecting scripture, word for word, to ponder the meaning. As I dig and I hunger for His word, His character, motivations, wants, desires, love, and hopes for me, are uncovered like buried treasures.

The uncovered treasures shine with beauty and purity of TRUTH, something rare to find these days.

The verse from Jeremiah explains that as we get to know the Lord, and take him as our God, we will be able to give him our whole hearts. This thought triggers a question to consider. Are our whole hearts even available to give Him or are we consumed by to many other things that have taken captive our hearts attention?

Here I am met face to face with the depths of my heart, and know I am still holding on with a vice grip to parts of my life I am convinced I need to control. But the more I get into His word to get to know Him, He dissects my heart and is pulling out the pieces that are not aligned to His character, and thus not aligned to who He is calling me to be.

Do you know God? If not, dig into His word and you will find Him. If you do know Him, does He have your whole heart?

I pray God gives you a heart to know Him. I pray God gives you a hunger like you have never had before to dive in, head first, to His word and get to know him for yourself. I pray you begin to see His character in you, the fruit of your time spent with His word. I pray 2019 is a year you choose to dissect scripture and a time for your transformed hearts to become more like God’s.