Can I Know God Personally?
I heard about a little boy who one evening climbed into his father’s lap and said, “Daddy, do you love me?”
The father laughed. “Of course, I love you. I tell you every day.”
The boy looked at him with those big, honest eyes that only children have and said, “I know you tell me. But sometimes I just need to feel it.”
That’s the question behind the question, isn’t it? When we ask, “Can I know God personally?” What we’re really asking is, “Does God even know I’m here? And if He does, does He care?”
The answer is yes. And it’s not a distant, theological yes. It’s a pull-up-a-chair, look-you-in-the-eye, call-you-by-name yes.
Jesus defined eternal life in a way that surprises most people. In John 17:3, He said, “Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” Did you catch that? Eternal life isn’t just a destination. It’s a relationship. Knowing God. Not knowing about Him, but actually knowing Him — that’s the whole point.
Jeremiah 29:13 puts the ball squarely in our court: “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” Not with all your intellect. Not with all your church attendance. With all your heart.
James 4:8 makes the promise even more personal: “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” That’s not a maybe. That’s a covenant. You take one step, and God closes the distance.
Adrian Rogers once said, “The reason so many of us are not filled with the Spirit is that we are too full of ourselves.” That lands hard because it’s true. We fill our lives with noise, schedules, opinions, and distractions, and then we wonder why God feels far away. He hasn’t moved. We just stopped making room.
Knowing God personally isn’t complicated. But it does require something most of us struggle with: surrender. It means coming to Him not with a résumé but with an open hand. Not with your answers but with your questions. Not with your strength but with your need.
The boy in his father’s lap wasn’t looking for a sermon. He wanted presence. He wanted to be held.
God isn’t pacing heaven, hoping you’ll figure out the right formula. He’s not hiding behind theological fine print. He’s a Father who has been waiting for you to climb into His lap and say, “I just need to feel it.”
And He will whisper back what He’s been saying all along: “I’m right here. I’ve always been right here.”
Keep Looking Up!
May God bless your day.
Related devotionals: Is Jesus really God? · Does life have a purpose? · John 3:16 meaning
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If today’s devotional spoke to your heart, my books carry these same themes deeper. Stories of God moving in ordinary lives, scripture for tired pastors and weary parents, and steady reminders that heaven is closer than you think.