May 4, 2025 - John‬ ‭8‬:‭19‬

“They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”” John 8:19 ESV

Lord, we want to know you and the Father closely. There is a difference between knowing about someone and knowing them. People can know all kinds of facts about our favorite athlete or celebrity, but that doesn’t at all mean they know them. To really know someone, we must spend time with them. We need to observe them and ask them questions. When we really know someone, we understand what makes them tick. We understand how they think and can often anticipate how they will respond or what they will say in certain situations. When you know someone, you hurt when they hurt and rejoice when they rejoice. To know someone also is to know what actions will hurt them, what will bring a smile to their face, and what will cause them to laugh.  

Jesus, you spent time with your Father. And you chose to walk in a way that would only bring glory to him. If we want to do the same, we must be intentional about spending time in your presence. We must invest time in your Word and learn to understand who you are through it. We want to move from knowing about you to truly knowing you. As we start to understand who you are, we can also begin to understand how to live in a way that brings you joy and run from things that bring you pain. Holy Spirit, help us go deeper in our knowledge of God. Draw us in and increase our desire to spend more time in your presence. Open our minds and hearts to understand and help us learn to be a good friend. Let it be said about our lives that when people look at us, they see you.

In Jesus name, amen.