Proverbs 30:4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands?
Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and the name of his son?
Tell me if you know!

Where the NIV has, “Tell me if you know!” I have written in, “Jesus!” However, the Japanese translates that line as, “Surely you know.” The earlier lines of this verse are certainly a description of divinity, so a good Jew would have known that His Name is Yahweh (though a devout Jew would never speak that Name, out of reverence for it). However, no one in those days would have known that His Son’s Name is Yeshua (Jesus in Greek rendering). That makes this verse very interesting indeed. The first five verses of Hebrews speak directly of this point of God the Creator and Christ His Son. It is the high privilege of Christians to indeed know the Name of God, and the Name of His Son. The very label, Christian, of course references the Son, but the question becomes one of whether we really know the One whose Name we bear. Sadly, many Christians often live as if they don’t. In ancient cultures a person’s name was seen as integral to their being, so knowing their name implied a level of intimacy. Today we use names very lightly, to the point of saying “He’s just a name” when we really don’t know someone. God not only knows our names, He knows every detail about us, down to the number of hairs on our head. (Luke 12:7) One of the fundamental reasons for our existence is that we would come to know God indeed, not just as a Name but in genuine depth and intimacy. When we ignore that calling, we miss out on infinite blessings.

The more I have come to know God, the better I have understood that’s why I exist, and the more I have wanted to know God. Even so, there have been more times than I like to think about when I have ignored Him. At this point my life is dedicated to helping others know Him, but I must never stop pressing in myself to know Him better. There’s always more! As Paul said so memorably, everything else in life is rubbish compared with knowing Christ. (Philippians 3:7-11) Even Paul was sharply aware that he had further to go and more to learn. Actually, that’s part of the glory of knowing God, because the vista keeps getting broader and higher and more magnificent the more we press in. The more we know of God the more we understand how incredible His grace is, that He would stoop to love such as we are, but that is the glory of the Gospel I am called to proclaim.

Father, I’m reminded of the words You gave me for a song a couple of years ago: “He filled me with blessings, and said ‘There’s always more.’” Likewise, there’s the song, The Longer I Serve Him the Sweeter He Grows. That’s why the eternity of heaven is so inviting: there’s an infinity of You to know better and better. Help me be increasingly effective in imparting a hunger for more of You to those I interact with, both in the church and out of it, so that as many as will may indeed press in to You to receive Your full salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!