That I might know you...

Lord, it belongs not to my care
Whether I die or live;
To love and serve Thee is my share,
And this Thy grace must give.

If life be long, I will be glad,
That I may long obey;
If short, yet why should I be sad
To welcome endless day?

I don't know that I've ever heard this hymn by Richard Baxter- it was in Knowing God by Packer, which I've recently begun reading. But that is my prayer today, that like Paul I would desire to know God (Phil. 3:7-10). So much so that nothing else matters. That though I may take up my cross to follow Him, it would never become the decider of my attitude or countenance. I want to know God so fully that I reflect the "joy unspeakable" instead (1 Pet 1:8).

Packer states "those who know their God are sensitive to situations in which God's truth and honor are being directly or tacitly jeopardized." He also plainly challenges our prayers to and praises of God. Daniel demonstrates the prayer of a man who truly knows God. Packer asks if God's "holy majesty, his moral perfection, and his gracious faithfulness keep us humble and dependent, awed and obedient, as it did Daniel?" So today, I am praying that my life and my prayers would show more and more of my desire to know God, greater peace and joy beyond any circumstances and heartaches, increasing energy to pray for God's cause, and further boldness for God's glory to be praised.