We can’t love God without knowing Him. Just like we can’t love someone we don’t know. It’s not possible. Knowing God takes time and effort, a lot of focused effort. Whatever we want from God we must seek Him with all of our heart. This isn’t a half-hearted attempt. No, it takes a constant focused pursuit of Him even while doing life.

Loving God is a response to His loving us. With people, it is a choice, but with God it is realizing He loves me that causes me to love Him. It brings out my love for Him. It isn’t something I can manufacture. Real love for God is a response.

Let’s dig deeper. Let’s be honest with ourselves.

I think we try to love God. We try to make this work. We voice the correct rhetoric. Pray loudly. Faithfully attend Bible study groups. But it still seems empty. Is this what you are experiencing?

I can see it on the faces of those who attend church whether in person or watching a service online. It is the same. The trying is there, but…something is missing. We are desperate to make this thing work, but don’t know how. 

Like a child separated from the parent in a large store, we feel lost, abandoned. I see it. That hopeful look. Not a joyful knowing look. Just hopeful. Trying, but not quite getting there. We don’t understand what is wrong, but we feel alone. 

So we live an empty spiritual life. Our Christian life is definitely not the abundant life Jesus promised. Trying to live for Him, but it seems He’s not available. How can we love Him when we feel so alone?

So we repeat lots of rhetoric. Pray loudly. Lots of church activities. We speak of what happened to us years ago, but nothing recent. We busy ourselves learning lots of stuff. Ongoing Bible studies. Learning but never finding peace or joy. Our lives feel empty. Full of Christian stuff, yet…..empty. And lonely.

Do we want more or are we ok with where we are? What about yearning for God with such a longing that it consumes us?

How can we yearn for You, O God, if we don’t know You? We know about You, but don’t know You. What can we do? Jer. 29:13

I see in Your word that You are not difficult to find. You promised that we would find You if we would seek You with all our heart. Maybe that is asking too much. We want it to be easier. We don’t want to pay the cost. 

It is easy to bury ourselves in biblical facts and data. But we never find You. It is not a brain thing. It is a heart thing. We must leave the brain, crucify it and let our heart reach out to You. Allow our heart to believe You, to receive from You. Every interaction with You is from and to the heart. Spiritual. Not mental. Not academic. Spiritual, from our spirit to Your Spirit. From Your Spirit to our spirit. 

We must bypass the brain. We must believe in order to know; not know in order to believe. O God, may we be brave enough to leave the brain outside of our interactions with You. It has no place there. It is Spirit to spirit. 

Reader, does this speak to your heart? Are you one of the few that want to love God with all your being? Can you make a little room for time to do something about it? Would you join me and others who have a burning desire for a deeper knowledge of God to devote some time each day or week to pursue God?

Prayer

O Holy Spirit, we long to please our Lord. We so want to love Him with all our heart. Show us our Savior. Reveal Him to us. It is only as You reveal Him to us that we can love Him. As we read Your word, allowing it to speak to our hearts, lift Jesus up in our sight to the point we see Him as desirable. As someone we love and long for. Amen

The Pursuit of God

Words to light your path this week

John 17:3  and this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. NKJV

Phil. 3:10  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death NKJV

Col. 1:10  …and increasing in the knowledge of God NKJV