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More Than Just Knowing About Him: The Power of Knowing God

 

We can know a lot about people without actually knowing them.

Take George Washington, for example. You might know he was tall, had no children with his wife Martha (I know the sermon said Mary, but the history books show it was Martha!), and died from a throat infection. That's knowledge about him. But that knowledge doesn't change your life, and he certainly can’t know you in return.

Sometimes, we approach God this way, too. We have a lot of facts, but we lack transformational knowledge—the kind that happens when we truly know someone, and they know us.

Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, suggests that this deep, relational knowledge of God is the most powerful force in the universe. In fact, he stops preaching and starts praying for it, because that’s how critical it is.

 

A Prayer for Deeper Knowing

 

Paul’s prayer (Ephesians 1:15-23) isn’t just for the Ephesians; it’s for us. He prays for three interconnected truths that allow us to move from knowing about God to knowing God:

 

1. Know God through Wisdom and Insight

 

Paul prays that God would give you "spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God."

Wisdom isn't just about accumulating facts. For the ancients, knowledge was experiential—it was gained through relationship. Think of it like a marriage: your faith in your spouse isn't just based on their bio, but on the 10, 20, or 50 years of experiences you’ve shared.

The more you genuinely experience Jesus, the more your faith deepens, and the more you become like Him. And what is the ultimate measure of becoming like Jesus? Love. The more we know Him, the more our love for others grows. We gain this wisdom and insight as we engage with God daily through His Word and by yielding to the Holy Spirit.

 

2. Know God through Confident Hope

 

Paul then prays: "that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called."

Ever fumbled around an unfamiliar, dark room, searching for the light switch? It’s hard to have hope or make progress in the dark!

Our hope is a confident hope. It is based on the truth that God has called us, adopted us, and given us an inheritance—He wants unification with us through Christ. This truth is like a blast of creation light flooding your heart. No matter how dark your circumstances feel, knowing God means seeing your life through the power of His ultimate plan. Know God = Know Hope!

 

3. Know God through Incredible Power

 

Finally, Paul prays that we would know "the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him."

This is the very same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in authority over every ruler, power, or force in this world and the next.

This isn’t some abstract, distant power! It’s the active, transforming force of the Holy Spirit, which lives inside you right now.

  • The power of God's plan reigns over your fears.

  • The power of God's hope shines in your darkness.

  • The power of the Holy Spirit raises you from defeat and transforms you into Christ's likeness.

 

You Are Not Incomplete

 

You are not commissioned to fix yourself or complete yourself. Jesus completes us! As Paul concludes, we are Christ's body, "made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself."

Instead of striving for knowledge about God, let's surrender to the experience of knowing Him.

What do you need today? Wisdom and Insight? Light and Hope? Power and Life? Pause right now and invite Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, to flood your mind, heart, and soul with His presence.