Imagine being a golfer and having the opportunity to play a round of golf with Tiger Woods. Wouldn’t that be incredible? What if you could play a round of golf with him every day? Not only would you get better at playing golf, you would personally get to know one of best golfers to ever play the game.

Scripture: “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” Ephesians 1:17

Truth: This is the idea behind prayer. It is an invitation to spend time with God every day, not only to figure out how to better navigate life but to share in his life. How amazing is it that our God, the Creator of the world, the King of the universe, wants to be known.

But if we’re honest, relating with God is challenging because he is invisible, and he usually doesn’t speak with an audible voice. When we give our lives to Jesus, he gives us his Holy Spirit who opens our spiritual eyes and ears so that what wasn’t possible before is now possible. We can get to know God. Not in the academic way of knowing, where we can answer questions about him. But in the personal way of knowing, where we can experience his presence, hear his voice, understand his heart, and discern his lead.

When prayer revolves around discovering more of who God is and learning to interact with him, our time with him is transformed. And it becomes all about the very thing we long for: relationship.

Try this:

• Pick a character trait of God, like God’s love, forgiveness, peace, or joy. Let’s take God’s peace, for example.
• Tell God what you love about his peace. Father, I love how your peace doesn’t depend on circumstances. I want to have that kind of peace in my life.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what gets in the way of you being able to experience his peace. Write down what he brings to mind.
• Now quiet your heart and ask the Holy Spirit to give you a taste of God’s peace. Wait silently with expectation for God to pour his peace into your heart. When you are done, thank him for this gift.
• Over the next few days, talk to God about the things he brought to your mind. Ask him to do whatever needs done in these areas of your life so you can not only walk in his peace but be a bringer of his peace to others.

Let’s pray

Father, I want to really know you. Holy Spirit, come into my life, open my spiritual eyes and ears, and help me to know God. In Jesus’ name, amen.