Knowing God: A Journey of Scripture, Prayer and Experience

To truly know someone, you need experience with them. But how can you have "experience" with an invisible being? How do you truly get to know Him? 

Growing up in church, I heard so much about God that I got used to it but could never boldly say I knew Him as what I heard Him to be—"He’s mighty” “He’s our savior” “He’s a deliverer” “He’s a strong tower” “He’s a burden bearer, heavy load sharer.” I heard all of this, but at that phase in my life, I didn’t have my own knowledge of who He really was. 

I realized that just hearing about Him isn’t enough. It’s a good starting point, but it’s not enough because there’s a difference between “knowing of God” and “knowing God.” The goal is to know Him for yourself—otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading this. 

God sees you and wants to know you, no matter how many are in the room.

I see knowing God as a process with multiple parts. It involves you doing your part to get to know Him and inviting Him in to show Himself as that to you (often considered a part of prayer when we express ourselves to God. I consider it inviting Him in because we decide to acknowledge Him with it.) It wasn’t until I got much older though(and more importantly)until I began reading the Word and inviting Him into my life through prayer,that I truly began to know Him. 

Some might think to themselves, "Oh, just pray to Him, and you’ll know Him." We know that prayer is an important part of a believer’s life or for anyone attempting to give it a try. But that can feel difficult when you don’t really have a clue who you’re talking to. 

Just like it’s hard to talk to someone we don’t really know, sometimes it can be the same way with God. It makes sense. It’s a bit awkward talking to someone you hardly know, trusting them with what you’re sharing, or even believing they have the ability to help or guide you in the right direction. 

But as I’ve learned who God is through His Word and by hearing how He has worked in the lives of others, I’ve been encouraged to seek Him to be those same things for me as well. 

Scripture & Prayer: An Invitation for God to Reveal Himself

The Word of God is one of the main ingredients when it comes to knowing Him. 

You might wonder, "How can Scripture help you know God?" I think it must be read in a way that makes you consider what is revealed about His character . A person’s character is what makes them predictable (unless they change), and it’s what makes us able to trust them or not. Character is what you can count on someone to be based on their previous patterns, and we learn this through experience with that person.

I believe Scripture and sometimes hearing others' experiences with God are what allows us to believe God for certain things;it tells us who He can be to us if we let Him. The Word is how we become familiar with His character, His abilities, His expectations, His heart, and more. 

It also must be read with the understanding and believing that He’s literally the same God that parted the Red Sea, the same God that delivered His people time and time again when they cried out and repented. Whatever your favorite Bible story is, it’s a testimony of the One who wants us to know Him. He is the same God and He wants us to experience Him for ourselves. 

John 1:1 tells us that God is His Word, and having a good relationship with the Word or spending frequent time in it will ideally lead you to know Him more and more. I believe this can happen through listening to Scripture-based podcasts, hearing the Word preached and taught, and, of course, through your own personal study and devotional time. 

Inviting God In: Prayer as a Personal Act of Faith

God will never intrude into our lives and make us know Him. Though He knows us because we’re His creation, He wants to be invited into a relationship, just as we do with others. 

He wants to be chosen by you, just like you and I do. As we look to know Him more, we must have faith that He’s meeting us. James 4:8 says, “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.” 

In my experience, life has made it a bit easier to get to know God because it presents so many opportunities to invite Him in through prayer and see Him move when we begin to acknowledge Him. A sure thing about life is that we will all experience challenges. While we don't have to know God only through challenging times, it often seems that many people begin to recognize their need for Him when they realize they can't handle things on their own or that something is missing. That's when we usually start searching. 

Personally, I got to know God for myself when I experienced a loss I never imagined [LS6] and needed Him to be my comfort,because nothing and no one else could be that for me. I finally stopped trying to cope in temporary ways and allowed Him to be the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3). 

I got to know Him as the One who careth for me (1 Peter 5:7) when He responded to prayers or sent a word to encourage me, and I knew that it was only sent by Him. 

We really get to experience Him when we invite Him into our lives through prayer and have faith in Him. The Bible tells us that “He who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Final Thoughts: The Ongoing Journey of Knowing God

● As you draw near to God, believe and know He is drawing near to you (James 4:8). ● We must read His Word to know Him—because He is His Word (John 1:1). ● It’s a relationship, and it takes time to build. 

● Prayer is a way for me to invite God in to be who I’ve heard He is. If I didn’t read His Word, I wouldn’t know who He could be to me, and without prayer, I wouldn’t be inviting Him into my life. 

At the heart of it all, knowing God is about seeking Him, spending time in His Word, and allowing Him to be who He says He is in your life. 

So, seek Him through His word and prayer to know Him and expect Him to begin to reveal Himself to you as you. Invite Him in and believe Him,because He wants you to have the assurance to testify of who He is. 

It’s a journey, but one worth taking because of who you will come to know Him as.

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