It was in my first term in Bible College of Malaysia that I read Knowing God by J. I. Packer. I guess I did not expect to be astounded by this little classic, but it sure did open my eyes to what God is like. I grew in a deeper understanding of his character and could better grasp the severity of sin and why Jesus had to die for me.

Fast forward to my second term here in BCM and an acquaintance from church sent me a PDF of the book The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer. I have not even finished it (this is not a book to be rushed through) and already I have been given the privilege to know God little by little. I have come to know that he is actually a real Person. These revelations are mind-blowing, to say the least.

Knowing about God (mere intellectual assent) is very different from knowing him. No one can know God unless God first draws him. Knowing him is knowing for sure that he has got my back, that he is a real person who is there to talk to me and hear me talk. I discovered that hearing his voice means reading his Word. Knowing him is having a reverent awe toward him and respecting him instead of singing a song with lyrics I don’t mean and praying prayers that aren’t like a real conversation. Knowing him is obeying what he has commanded, though circumstances really suck at times.

I hope to know him more and more and to be a better friend. I hope you will come to know him too.

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12