Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day. (Psalm 25:4-5)
As Messiah taught us, the way (path) that leads to life is narrow and, very often, troublesome. Nevertheless, it is a path that is to be sought out and traversed if we truly desire to know the living God in the most intimate of ways. I understand that, in Messiah, we have been reconciled to our Heavenly Father but, still one has to admit, that doesn’t necessarily translate into a deep understanding of Him or His ways. Actually the reconciliation offered to us through Messiah provides for a fresh start that we may come to know Him better. To underscore this point, consider the tragic message Messiah delivered to some of those who had prophesied, cast out demons and performed other wonderful works in His Name — “I never knew you.” Such a tragedy.
As for David, he wants to know the Almighty and so he prays that God will lead him in the path that results in greater understanding of and intimacy with Him. He desires to learn of God’s Truth, which is much more than just what the casual observer might read on the surface of Scriptural text. By that I mean, there are certain aspects and attributes of the Almighty that even a heathen might see and, to some degree, understand. But those who wholeheartedly pursue God realize that to grow in Truth is a lifelong journey; we never stop learning as long as we are willing to be taught.
Like an earthly father leads a child, He provokes us to take baby steps before encouraging us to walk on our own. Even then, we continue to mature under His guidance and tutelage, always growing in our understanding of who and what He is. In short, we must continue walking and growing in His Truth if we hope to truly know Him.
The journey we speak of is not an easy one which is why Messiah warned us that the path leading to life is narrow, troublesome and not for the faint of heart. I would argue that is one of the reasons it is not as heavily populated as the broad path that leads to destruction. But perseverance and a desire to pursue God will be rewarded; those qualities and infinite facets of the Creator that evade the understanding of the half-hearted follower will be revealed to those who seek Him relentlessly.
In short, the reward of knowing Him is so much more than physical benefits; I’d even say it is more than just the promise of Heaven after this life. Knowing Him is to be blessed with greater understanding of our Heavenly Father and His ways in this life that we might successfully finish the course He has set before us. May it be that we all do just that and hear those words we all desire to hear — “Well done.”
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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