Encountering God is a life's pursuit. The moment that we cease to pursue Him we have become distracked from the goal. The NKJV words Isaiah 50:7 like this, "For the Lord God will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed." Even in times of pressure and struggle He must be the focal point. If not, what we will encounter will be the consequence of denying Him.
Hosea 6:3 "Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord;
his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us as the showers,
as the spring rains that water the earth.”"
This verse is part of a call to repentance. In this call we find a truth about knowing God. What we know of God must be worked out in our experiences, and that "knowing" must me pursued.
Verse 6 "For I desire steadfast love (or mercy) and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings."
Our religious practice (a life of praise is an accurate definition of religious practice) must be the outworking of our inner reality. We know and experience Him, and in turn our lives and choices are shaped by understanding Him. We stumble, but we recognize our short comings because we know Him.
Israel fell and Ephraim was judged, because of their pride (the ultimate in misdirected focus). The knowledge of Him is the cure for pride. In knowing and experiencing Him there is no place to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. In knowing and experiencing Him we become acutely aware of our inadequacies and shortcomings. Still, in knowing and experiencing Him, we find that the possibilities are endless, because He is endless. And in knowing and experiencing Him we will begin to embody His image. Even in times of trouble, our hope will not fail, our confidence will not be shaken, because we know Him.
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