Read: Isaiah 66:1-24, Philippians 3:4-21, Psalm 74:1-23, Proverbs 24:15-16

“I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:10-11

Relate: This is such a loaded statement. Since at least back to my senior year in high school it has been my favorite scripture. For a long time I focused on the first part: “I want to know Christ.” It is what pushed me to begin memorizing books of the Bible. Then in college, with the death of my father and my aunt, I began to understand a little more what it was “to suffer with Him.” But is gaining knowledge really what it means to know Him? Does going through sorrow qualify for suffering with Him? What about experiencing the mighty power that raised Him from the dead? How do I share in His death?

React: In reality, the only way I can know Him is if He reveals Himself to me. There is no possible way to gain that knowledge on my own. In the same way, there is no way I can experience His power unless He acts. Suffering will come, but it is only when I realize he is there with me through it do I begin to understand that I am not alone, I am suffering with Him. The only way for me to share in His death is to die to myself. The harder I strive towards these desires, the further I am from arriving. Every longing that Paul, and I, have here is one that only God can fulfill. It is only when I rest in what He has already done can I truly begin to know Him.

Respond: I want to know You, God. Would You reveal Yourself more to me? I want to experience Your power. I beg that You would act on my behalf. I want to understand what it means to suffer and die with You. Help me to be an imitation of You in the hard times as well as the good. Somehow or another, I want to be raised to new life. Help me to recognize that it is all, always, about You.