Want to know God?

Parker Memorial Baptist, Anniston

As we sat in the den of my father’s house, I asked my aging father those critical words: “Do you want to know God? Do you want to go to heaven?” The love I had for my dad and fear that he would spend eternity without Christ overcame the temptation to just be quiet or wait for another time to ask.

He looked at me with those dark, piercing eyes and with all the honesty and integrity of his heart, said, “No, I do not have a desire to know God.”

I knew that the next words that came out of my mouth would be critical. How could I respond? Truly the Holy Spirit gave me these words, “Can I pray and ask God to change your heart so you will want to know God?”

Somewhat surprised by my response, Dad said, “Yes, pray for me.”

I prayed for him then and committed to continue praying for him.

It was years later when I knelt with my dad in his office and heard him ask Jesus into his heart. Many things had taken place that created a need and desire in my dad’s heart to know God. My dad’s life was radically changed because he finally said, “Yes, I want to know God.”

I came to understand a great truth that day. It is essential for a person to want to know God for salvation to happen. This experience brought to life these words from Romans 10:13, “Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” The word “call” means to intensely desire. There must be a desire to know God. When a person has the desire to know God, then He will reveal Himself.

Do you know Him? Or maybe the better question is do you want to know Him? If the answer is yes, then you can know Him. He has provided the way for you to know Him — Jesus. If the answer is no, then pray for God to change your heart and create within you a desire to know Him.

God has a way of changing hearts and desires. I saw it happen with my dad, and I have seen it happen in the years since. God can engineer the circumstances in life to create a hunger to know Him.

Will you ask Him?