A Desire to Know God

Hebrews 4:15(NLT) states, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.” Jesus Christ is our High Priest. He is our mediator and advocate, and God has given him the place of highest honor in heaven, at the Father’s right hand. Our Master Jesus understands all the things that we go through on this earth. He was tempted by the devil just as we are, but he did not sin. This means that he could have made that choice, but he never did. It is important to remember the humanity of Christ, so that we begin to believe and have confidence in our own humanity. Our ingenuity and creativity have produced movies and fantasies about superheroes, with all their capes, antics, and superhero powers. This is how many people view the miraculous now. They view it through the lens of comic books and make believe, but we must be ever so careful not to detach or detract from the truth of who Christ is in any way. He came to the earth to fulfill the Father’s purpose, and nothing about what he accomplished through his ministry and sacrifice was as simple as putting on a cape.

His parents, Mary and Joseph, were not affluent people with great wealth. Our Lord and Savior was born in a manger, a place where animals were fed. He grew up learning the trade of his father, Joseph, which was carpentry, but Jesus also had a deep desire to know God’s Word. During the time in which he lived, the Word of God was taught in the synagogues, and young boys would be brought there to hear the rabbis teach from the scrolls. Because fictional characters with miraculous powers are so common, many have assumed that Jesus did not need to study God’s Word, that it was automatically downloaded in his mind or that it just popped in his head and heart. This wasn’t the way it was.

Mary and Joseph were good parents who taught Jesus as much as they knew about God’s Word, but his appetite was insatiable. He studied the writings of the prophets every opportunity he got. Luke 2:42 tells us that when Jesus was twelve years old, he and his parents went to the Festival of the Passover, as this was their custom every year. When it was over and his parents were on their way home, Jesus stayed behind without his mother and father realizing it. They were frantic and went back to Jerusalem to find him. Luke 2:46(NIV) says, “After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.” His parents were astonished and wanted to know why he gave them such a scare. In response, Luke 2:49(NIV) tells us that he asked them, “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” From this point on, Luke 2:52 records that our Lord and Savior grew in wisdom and stature, and he also grew in favor with God and people.

Jesus developed a habit pattern of learning God’s Word and applying it in every way to his life. He was relentless about studying the scriptures because he wanted to know our God. We must ask ourselves if we want to get to know God this much. We live in an environment where it is common to hear single people complain about the challenges of finding a compatible mate. They’d like to get married one day and share a meaningful life with someone, but it isn’t anywhere near as simple as they thought. When they finally do meet someone, they want to spend as much time with this person as possible. They’ll spend endless time talking and getting to know one another, and they both find this a very delightful experience. This is what you do when you are interested in knowing someone. You spend a lifetime getting to know one another. You appreciate doing so and consider it one of the greatest blessings of your existence.

Jesus Christ showed us in every way that getting to know his Heavenly Father was the greatest desire and delight of his life. He didn’t have a Bible that he could pull out and read any time he wanted. He didn’t have the internet or a cell phone. There were none of the modern conveniences that we enjoy today. Access to God’s written Word wasn’t easy. He had to put himself in the company of those who could teach the scriptures, and he had to be as attentive as he possibly could. Never did he consider it an imposition or a disadvantage to learn God’s Word. He knew it to be the greatest gift of all humanity.

All of us want wonderful lives with wonderful relationships, financial stability, protection, and good health. We want God’s blessings, but many of us haven’t done as Jesus Christ commands in Matthew 6:33, which is to seek God first and to prioritize our relationship with Him above anything else in our lives. Even many believers think that it’s okay to skip out on their commitment to God and to put other people and things before their responsibility to the faith. 2Chronicles 16:9(NLT) states, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” God searches the entire world looking for those who have hearts that are fully committed to Him. We must have a desire to know God through His Word. Not only should we see getting to know, love, and honor Him as the greatest privilege of our lives, but we should realize that studying and learning His Word is the key to living a blessed life.■

English Standard Version (ESV)

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

A Desire to Know God

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