10 Ways to Know Jesus Better
This devotional is part of our devotional series, 10 Ways to Know Jesus Better. Consider reading one devotional in the series each week. At the end of the article, you will find an action step to help you practically pursue knowing Jesus better.
Part 10: Express How Badly You Want to Know Him
Despite all the ways Jesus makes his presence known to us, and all our efforts to seek him, those who know and love Jesus miss him. Even though we have his Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts, and even though he makes his presence known to us in a million ways throughout our lives, we wish we could see him. We wish we could touch him and know him fully the way we will one day in heaven (1 Corinthians 13:12).
Jesus describes himself in the Bible as a groom. Collectively, those who have put their faith in him are his bride. Jesus deeply loves those he has saved, and he is preparing a place for us to live with him forever. He promises us:
In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. (John 14:2-3 ESV)
One day we will experience the fullness of knowing Jesus, when we will physically live with him in the new heavens and the new earth after he raises us from the dead to eternal life (Revelation 20:11-21:27). In the meantime, we long for him. And he longs for us as well like a groom longs for the day when he and his bride live together happily ever after.
Jesus knows we are physical people and sometimes need object lessons to help us relate to him. So he gave us a special discipline to help us express our love and longing for him. It’s called fasting.
Listen to what Jesus says about fasting: “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day” (Mark 2:20 ESV). In other words, Jesus was telling his followers that soon he would be in heaven, no longer physically present with them. “The days” Jesus talks about here are the days we are living in. Jesus, our groom, is “away.” What does he say his followers do when he’s away? They fast.
Fasting is abstaining from food for a set amount of time to more fully seek the Lord. People in the Bible fasted for several reasons. They fasted when making decisions, if they need God’s guidance, when they are in serious trouble or distress, or just when they longed for God’s presence.
Fasting is not vying for God’s attention because it will cause God to pity you and give you what you want. Fasting is not putting yourself through pain because God enjoys your suffering. Fasting is not something that makes you more righteous in God’s sight.
Fasting is a relational act of love and devotion between you and God. It’s a way of saying to God, you are more important than food—than one of my most basic needs. It’s a way of saying, I want you, God. Your presence and guidance are more important to me than food.
In Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus teaches us how to fast and promises us that God rewards us when we seek him through fasting. Jesus will make himself known to us when we draw near to him (James 4:8).
If you want to know Jesus better, consider choosing to pursue him instead of food for a day. Use time you would have spent eating to talk to him and read his Word. Let your hunger remind you to pray! Seek Jesus through fasting and ask him to make himself known to you in a deeper way in response.
Action Step
Ask the Holy Spirit to prompt you to fast sometime in the next month and to show you what to fast about! Ask him to give you the courage to seek him by fasting and to bring you joy as you do so. Remember that God rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6).