Knowing and Following

Knowing and Following

Thomas Dohling

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."

The Holy Spirit through the prophet Hosea has a profound message for us in this passage. The call is to “press on to know the LORD.” Many of us do not seem to desire to grow in the knowledge of God. Many Christians are living empty lives since they have neither seen nor grasped the heavenly picture presented in the God’s Book. Religion to them consists of repeating the same prayers used for years, and reading a prescribed portion of Scripture. Sadly, such lives are deficient of the joy and gladness that is found only in knowing the Lord. Such people cannot appropriate David’s comparison between himself and the hunted deer that pants for the water-brook (Psalm 42:1,2), or our Lord’s blessing for those that “hunger and thirst after righteousness” (Matthew 5:6).

However, with many of us, there is a longing for a further advance to know the LORD. Like the apostle Paul, we are pressing toward the mark, though we lose sight of it many, many times! We are like the blind man whose sight was gradually restored by our LORD. First, he saw men as walking trees, dimly appreciating the glory of perfect sight; but soon, as Jesus’ dear hands touched him again, he saw clearly. Is there anyone reading this who does not long for this clear sight, this knowledge of God! Let us not desist in our quest, but follow on! When the last lesson is learned, the last and deepest surrender taken, the final act of faith accomplished, the partition will remove, and we shall know only JOY, deep in the depths of our souls as we have unrestricted, face to face view of our LORD (1 Corinthians 13:12).

God’s ways are sure. “His going out is sure as the dawn; He will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth." To some, the heavenly picture suddenly unfolds itself. However, human sense causes them to hide from the spiritual reality. To others, as we partake of the emblems – the unleavened bread and the grape juice – which remind us of our Lord’s sacrifice, we get a vision of the love of Jesus and we are more that satisfied; we become confident of our salvation and acceptance by God in Jesus.

At any given time as we meditate on God’s word and seek His ways, a heavenly door may open before us if we knock and seek earnestly! We may suddenly look up and see His face and exclaim with Paul: “The Lord is at hand!” We shall see His hand beckoning to us; and we shall arise and follow into that world of reality and love that is so near, but sometimes seems so far!

May each of us “press on to know the LORD.” Let us rise up and follow Him!

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