REVELATION OF GOD’S HEART (1)

“Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the SON wills to REVEAL HIM” – Matthew 11:27

In Christ, we receive the REVELATION of GOD’S HEART: “At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have REVEALED them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the SON wills to REVEAL HIM” (Mt.11:25-27). The wise and intelligent often debate and deliberate; an infant wonders, believes, and receives.

The Word of God reveals the Heart of God. To know God’s Heart, a person must give priority attention to His Word, for that is God’s revelation of Himself and His message to all. People read autobiographies about personalities, celebrities and luminaries, to get an idea of who they “really are.” Historians scrutinize diaries, journals, and letters from people in history to understand what their life was like and what influenced and motivated them. In a more profound and insightful way, the Lord has given us His Word so that we can know Him. We receive from and communicate with God’s Heart when we hear, read, study, and meditate on the Bible day and night (Psa.1:3). We can know the Heart of God because Scripture was divinely breathed out by Him (2Tim.3:16).

From Genesis to Revelation, the entire Bible speaks of God and reveals who He is and what He is like. Reading the Bible merely to gain facts about God or about His creation will not bring a person any closer to the Heart of God. Specifically, setting and pursuing the objective of studying Jesus in Scripture will reveal the Heart of God: “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me” (Jh.5:39). Encountering Scripture should cause a person to reverence, worship, and love God the more, through the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ (Heb.1: 1-3a).

Anyone who has seen Jesus has seen the Father: “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (Jh.14:9). No one can know God’s Heart without knowing and trusting in Jesus for salvation. He revealed the Father, for “He is the image of the invisible God” (Col.1:15a). Christ visually represents the Heart of God, the essence of who He is: “I and My Father are ones” (Jh.10:30). His death on the cross for the sins of the world and His resurrection to those who believe in Him, vividly presents the love, judgment, and mercy of God (Jh.3:16). In Christ we see God as the Saviour of humankind who desires all to come to know Him and experience the salvation He offers. The Lord is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet.3:9).

God’s Heart is also revealed in the place of Prayer. Investing sending time with the Lord in prayer, worship, and communion with the Holy Spirit will draw us closer to His Heart. Such times of devotion are not about struggling and straining, but accepting His invitation to learn, trust, rest and be blessed (vv.28-30). Just like children must spend time with parents to know them personally, we also must spend quality time with God to know Him more deeply: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (Jam.4:8a). This will enhance our deeper relationship and create a greater intimacy with Him, such that our desires become more aligned with His.

Seeking to know God’s Heart is a serious endeavour because it will profoundly change our lives. The more we seek to know the Lord, the more we’ll long for Him and declare: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, O God” (Psa.42:1).