"And this is life age-abiding, that they might KNOW THEE the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent." (John 17:3).

The chorus sings-- "To know Him, to know Him, is the prayer of my heart, Spirit, reveal Him to me..."

And-- "Only to know Him, only to know Him, is the prayer within my heart, Not just in measure, but in His fullness, this, O Lord, is the cry of my heart."

         We could write much, and often, on our desire to KNOW HIM, and yet for all the multiplied words-- in song, scripture, and speech-- how very little we know Him. Some things are shared out of experience-- the pain endured and the hope that grows within. We partake of His grace, and find that He does lead on-- "Some through the waters, some through the floods, some through the fire, but all through the blood. Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song, in the night season, and all the day long." Yes, out of our various times of challenging experiences we share from where we are at.
         Then some times we share out of revelation, as God sovereignly opens the eyes of our understanding "to know what is the hope of His calling..." (Eph. 1:18), and we thrill to the new insight, and pray more earnestly, "Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law." (Ps. 119:18). We would reach out and lay hold of that for which we have been apprehended by our Lord. Thank God for moments of revelation!
        But then there are times when experiences fall short, and revelation seems to be limited, and we simply share out of deep inner desire. "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple." (Ps. 27:4). For, "Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee." (Ps. 73:25). Yes, the flame of desire burns within, we would know Him in His character and nature, we would know Him in the outworking of His plan of the ages, we would know Him as our dwelling place, partaking of His fullness of life.
         The first time the word "know" (Hebrew is yada), is used in the Scripture is when the serpent said to Eve, "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." (Gen. 3:5). The allure was knowledge, not just any kind of knowledge, but what GOD KNOWS, intimate, inner secret mysteries.
        Adam and Eve bought into it, and partook of the forbidden fruit. "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked." (v. 7).
          Same word "know" used of God, and then of Adam and Eve-- but how little did they expect the knowing to be so personal, so intimate in self. They would know "as gods," going beyond the limitations of their humanity, but that is not the way it turned out-- the spotlight turned back on them, to see-- to know-- to become intimately aware of their own nakedness.
         Then next we read that "Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived and bear Cain." (Gen. 4:1). Now the meaning of the word is even more defined, KNOWING as in the intimacy of a marriage relationship.
         As "gods" they possessed intimate knowledge, but it was related to their own state of being, and they knew little more of The God, of His holiness, of His divine character, etc. for having gone their own self-willed-way, it drew a veil between them and communion with God, while they did see themselves more intimately, and were ashamed of their own naked state.
        God still has total intimate knowledge of man-- we read that "All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." (Heb. 4:1). While far too much of the time man "knows not that he is wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." (Rev. 3:17). Thank God, we can come to know Him, and be clothed with His righteousness, and no longer be ashamed.
        The world in general is forced to give the same confession as Pharaoh made so long ago, when Moses and Aaron came before him with a message, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let My people go." And Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord . . . " ( Ex. 5:2).
         Even Israel, after so long a time in bondage to Egypt, would have to make the same confession, "I know not the Lord." But both Israel and Egypt were on the threshold of revelation. God, through Moses, said to Israel, "I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burden of the Egyptians." (Ex. 6 :7).
         Furthermore, God said, "And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch forth Mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them." (Ex. 7:5).
         Indeed, "That thou mayest know that there is none like unto the Lord, our God." (Ex. 8:10). All of those who confess, "I know not the Lord," let them see and know that God is God. "That thou mayest know that there is none like Me in all the earth." (Ex. 9:14). "That thou mayest know how that the earth is the Lord's." (v. 29). But little did they know how this knowledge would come to them-- through the severity of the plagues that God was about to bring upon them. God's mighty power would be demonstrated in the most convincing ways- and they would know that HE IS GOD, yet for all that, how little would they really intimately know Him.
         Samuel's mother had prayed for a child, and the Lord gave her a son, which in time she returned to the Lord, "And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli (the priest). And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision." (1 Sam. 3:1). The Scriptures do not define what this "ministering to the Lord" entailed-- whatever ritual and form was required-- but it does read on, "Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the Word of the Lord revealed unto him." (v. 7). He did all the religious works which were required of him, but he did not KNOW the Lord. He could go through the routines of religious service, but he did not know the Lord. He was dedicated to the ceremony, and without a doubt very faithful to his charge, but intimately he did not yet know the Lord. So the Lord initiated a visitation, and Samuel began to know the Lord in a much more intimate reality-- a knowing that deepened year by year.
         Paul came to Ephesus, "and finding certain disciples, he said unto them, Have ye received the holy Spirit since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any holy Spirit." (Acts 19:1-2). They knew of the baptism of John, unto repentance, and they were called "disciples," disciplined ones within the scope of their knowledge, but there was a realm of the holy Spirit that was utterly foreign to them-- they had never heard of it. Fortunately they were open-hearted, and when Paul preached Christ to them, they believed, received, and came into a new dimension of experiencing God, and began to know in Whom they had believed.
         Yet far too many fulfill the Scripture, "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.  Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." (2 Tim. 3 : 5, 7) .
         In his discourse to Job, Elihu said, "Remember that thou magnify His work , which men behold. Every man may see it; man may behold it afar off. Behold, God is great, and we know Him not. neither can the number of His years be searched out." (Job 36:24-26). One songwriter penned, "In the stars His handiwork I see..." and we can view the wonders of nature, the awesomeness of power in a storm, the beauty of a rainbow after the storm, the sunshine and flowers, etc. and behold things "afar off," things which every man may see, and yet "we know Him not."
         Moses was one of those rare persons that had a more intimate knowing of God, for "The Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." And yet even Moses pressed for a deeper knowing, and said to the Lord, Thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in My sight. Now therefore, I pray Thee, if I have found grace in Thy sight, shew me now Thy way, that I may know Thee, that I may find grace in Thy sight..." (Exodus 33:11-13).
         Moses knew that God knew him-- knew him by name-- knew him by character and nature. But now he wanted to know God, even as he was known by God. "Shew me Thy way." The Psalmist records, "He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel." (Ps. 103:7). The people could stand afar off and see the demonstration of His power as the mountain quaked, thunder rolled, lightnings flashed, etc. They could see GOD DOING, and were always in need of God doing something new for them. 'But Moses desired to see more than HIS ACTS, even of His miracles, for he desired to KNOW the ways of God. For years we have been challenged by the difference between what Israel saw, and what Moses saw-- and the desire has burned within to KNOW HIS WAYS. But in these more recent years we are stirred to go even farther, beyond just seeing His acts, and even knowing of His ways, to now come to where we KNOW HIS PERSON-- to see Him "as he is."
         Yes, we thank God for His miracles! Yes, we praise God for revelation of His Word, His ways, His in workings, but how we yearn for Him, to know Him in the power of His resurrection, and become ONE-- in union with our Lord. "We don't know what we shall become in the future. We only know that, IF REALITY WERE TO BREAK THROUGH, we should reflect His likeness, for we should see Him as He really is!" (1 John 3:2, Phillips). Then, and not till then, will 1 John 4:17 be truly fulfilled, "Because as He is, so are we in this world." Some would like to claim it now, but their state of being does not verify their claim. When we are CHANGED, when we intimately know Him AS HE IS, conformed to His image, one in His nature, we will not have to claim to be anything-- we'll BE, and our state of being will be the irrefutable witness of what we have become.
         Perhaps our present condition is well expressed in the words of Paul, "Now I know in part..." (1 Cor. 13:10). Or, as Wuest translates it, "Now I know only in a fragmentary fashion." We know so little of what we ought to know of our God, but there is a determination placed within by the sovereign inworking of His grace, that compels us to follow on to know Him in a greater way-- that all the "in part" be swallowed up into the whole.
         Religious Babylon will not tolerate any degree of reality at all, and if there be a work of grace within, and one begins to even know in part, soon they are cast out as a heretic. If Babylon cannot capitalize on the man's experience, use it as a "drawing card" to build up their kingdom, if it is not merchandisable, I say, it is ignored, or even rejected.
         But God knows who we are, where we are, and what He has purposed for us. He said to Moses, "I know thy name..." and that is a good beginning, to know that GOD KNOWS US, but the Psalmist went on to state, "They that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee: for Thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee." (Ps. 9:10). To know His name in an on-going revelation. "God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord: and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by My name Jehovah was I not known to them." (Ex. 5:2-3).
         One can only walk in the sphere of revelation given-- and as we have often stated, revelation comes at the will of the Revelator. When God wants us to know something, He has the ways and means of gaining our attention, and imparting that knowing. The Almighty, the all-sufficient One, the great Invisible Benevolent Benefactor. Then comes the name JEHOVAH (Yahweh), to give an added dimension to His name, and there follows in the Scriptures a progressive unfolding of His name, what He would become to us, and what we shall ultimately become in Him-- each expression giving additional insight into the greatness of our God. Thus, little by little, we come to know Him, as His name is revealed, and we enter new dimensions of His reality.
         Yet how often we get into a circumstance that God uses to reveal Himself, and we have to say, "Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not." (Gen. 28:16). It is only after having some prayer answered, deliverance wrought, that our eyes are finally opened to see. Joshua said to Israel, "Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God-- Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites..." (Joshua 3:9-10). It took the on- going conquering of the enemy for them to realize that THE LIVING GOD was with them. How blessed to see that HE is ever with us-- our victory.
         We read, "There arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. - And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm . " (Mark 4 : 37, 39 ).
         What power, what authority were in His words, "PEACE, BE STILL!" All the foaming, raging waves were made quiet. They had no ears to hear. They had no minds which could bow in obedience to His Word. They were but the inanimate creatures of His creation, and He had authority over them.
         Concerning this, Charles S. Price made an interesting observation. "To the waves He said, "Be still;" but to His children He says, "BE STILL, AND KNOW..." The waves are subject to His command, but what do they KNOW? He uses all these storms, within and without, to teach us-- that He might reveal Himself to us in a new and deeper way, so that we know He is God."
          Our God has the ways and means to cause us to KNOW that He is God. "John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is He of Whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for He was before me. And I knew Him not: but that He should be manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him. And I knew Him not: but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon Whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizeth with the holy Spirit. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God." (John 1:29-34).
         Twice John says, "I knew Him not." But John also had received a word from God, a sign whereby he would know Him. He saw, he bare record, and he was able to say with all confidence, "This is the Son of God." Not until we personally receive our revelation (inner spirit quickening), can we speak with full assurance of who He really is. Every revelation received must then be put to the test-- for "The words of the Lord are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times." (Psalm 12:6). That which is OF GOD will stand the test, and require no defense on our part, no justification if the vision tarry, no apologizing for God if all men seem to reject the message-- what He reveals and processes within us will mean a solid foundation upon which to stand. You cannot live on a borrowed revelation. But what He imparts within will stand the storm, and you will KNOW.
         "Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates." (2 Cor. 13:5). How little do we know our own selves, let alone know Him! CHRIST DWELLS WITHIN. Sometimes we think we are so spiritual and advanced in the way, and suddenly God causes us to see what, without Him, we really are, and we feel so small. Sometimes we think we are way behind in the calling, and then God gives us a glimpse of what HE IS BECOMING WITHIN, and we are amazed at His bountiful mercy and grace to us. Surely God cannot show us what is in us except it be in proportion as to how He first reveals Himself to us, and we come to truly KNOW HIM.
         How little did Peter know his own heart, when he said to the Lord, "Though all men should be offended because of Thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice." But Peter would not even accept this word, and answered again, "Though I should die with Thee, yet will I not deny Thee." (Matt. 26:33-35). And it took the bitter experience of an actual denial for his inner state to be exposed-- and wept over.
         Surely we cannot bear the revelation of our own weaknesses, except we also are fortified by a revelation of our Lord-- of HIS SOVEREIGNTY, and of His grace so freely given to us. We weep at the very thought of the processing people have to pass through, but we also rejoice that "every valley shall be filled,-- and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; AND ALL FLESH SHALL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD." (Luke 3:5-6). There is tremendous hope to be realized after the in working of His judgments ministered by His grace-- with the whole of creation redeemed.
        There are some promises-- prophetic declarations-- that need to often be read to remind us of the final triumph, and one of those passages is in Jeremiah 31:33-34. "I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, saith the Lord." Truly, God purposes that ultimately every man shall "KNOW ME." Praise His name!
         "They shall all KNOW Me..." Intimately know Him-- not just standing afar off to behold His handiwork, but to be embraced by Him in a genuine KNOW.
         How dare we declare so bold a word? Because it is written, "God shall be all in all-- that is, be everything to everyone, supreme, the indwelling and controlling factor of life." (1 Cor. 15:28, Amplified). Herein is an intimacy that defies expression. Our heart responds with an awesome AMEN, though how little do we comprehend its breadth and scope. Nor is this a truth which only recently becomes some man's favorite doctrine. Solomon prayed it long, long ago. "That all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God, and there is none else." (1 Kings 8:60). This is more than just a coerced acknowledgement that God is God, but it is a responding in worship, knowing in an intimate way that He is LORD OF ALL WITHIN.
         Thank God for progression! Even though perhaps at this time we don't know as we ought to know, yet, "Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord," (Hosea 6:3), for His Spirit dwelling within will guide us into all truth. There is a FOLLOWING ON-- not trying to establish ourselves, for it is not accomplished by some "do-it-yourself" effort, but there is a daily,  continuous yielding to Him, that He might have His way in us. And then, "Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil. 1:6).
         How precious is the promise which Jesus gave to His disciples, when He said unto them, "What I do thou knowest not now; BUT THOU SHALT KNOW HEREAFTER." (John 13:7). Often in the midst of a happening we strain to figure out all that He is doing, perhaps even with the thought of yielding more to Him, if we understood the process. But as we cease our struggles, commit our way to Him, and just rest in the Lord, in due time we begin to see what He is doing, and there comes a "HEREAFTER" when we know and rejoice in Him.
         "And ye shall know the truth in an experiential way, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32). What deliverance-- grace wrought, Spirit given, love controlled, Christ centered, and absolute. It is a coming to KNOW HIM "in Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." It is not a measuring ourselves by ourselves, nor comparing our visions and dreams, nor even a seeking to understand all mysteries-- it is a coming to KNOW HIM in the intimacy of His love, and then seeking to glorify Him, as we share in the glorious ministry of reconciliation-- loving as He loves. "And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God. (John 17:3). To know Him in an experiential, intimate way. Bless His name!
                                               To Know Him-- To know Him-- this longing ever grows,
                                               To know His will and way and power, to know Him in each trying hour.
                                               To know that He is Lord of all, the trials great, the testings small.
                                               To know Him-- To know Him-- this knowledge we would seek,
                                               Although it takes the cross and pain to yield an understanding's gain,
                                               The fellowship of sufferings rare, the pressures we are asked to bear.
                                               To know Him-- To know Him-- the Fountain of our life,
                                               To know Him in a deeper way, in good and evil's interplay.
                                               To know that every circumstance Divinely ordered-- never chance.
                                               To know Him-- To know Him-- a knowing that shall be
                                               Personified, creation new, a state of being-- witness true
                                               Of all that He in us becomes, as self and carnal mind succumbs.
                                               To know Him-- To know Him-- for this we follow on,
                                               Till in His likeness we're replete, His work in us doth make us meet.
                                               All revelation to fulfill, in perfect knowledge of His will. Amen!
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(1)Prinzing, Ray and Doris "Letters of Truth"  Boise, Idaho 83705, P.O. Box 5822

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