“Learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve Him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek Him, you will find Him.”
— 1 Chronicles 28:9
There is something deeply personal about these words. David was speaking to his son Solomon, who was about to take on the enormous responsibility of becoming king and building the temple. David didn’t simply tell Solomon how to lead a nation. He told him how to know God.
“Learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately.”
That is where everything begins.
Knowing God Is More Than Knowing About God
It is possible to know a great deal about God without actually knowing Him.
We can read the Bible, listen to sermons, sing worship songs, attend church, and have years of Christian experience—and yet God invites us into something much deeper.
He wants us to know Him intimately.
Knowing God means developing a relationship with Him. It means talking with Him, listening to Him, trusting Him, worshipping Him, and becoming familiar with His voice and His ways.
The more time we spend with someone we love, the better we understand them. The same is true of our relationship with God.
You don’t become intimate with God by accident. You seek Him.
Worship Him With Your Whole Heart
David told Solomon to worship and serve God with his whole heart.
God isn’t looking for a divided heart.
He doesn’t want to be simply one part of our lives—the part we turn to on Sunday morning or when we are facing trouble. He wants our whole heart.
Our family belongs to Him.
Our work belongs to Him.
Our finances belong to Him.
Our gifts and talents belong to Him.
Our dreams and plans belong to Him.
Our future belongs to Him.
Worship isn’t merely what happens when we sing in church. Worship is the way we live.
Every time we choose obedience over convenience, forgiveness over bitterness, generosity over selfishness, and faith over fear, we are worshipping God.
Serve Him With a Willing Mind
Notice that David doesn’t simply say, “Serve God.”
He says to serve Him with a willing mind.
God cares not only about what we do but about the attitude with which we do it.
We can serve God while complaining.
We can serve God while seeking recognition.
We can serve God because we feel obligated.
Or we can serve Him because we genuinely want to.
There is a tremendous difference.
God delights in a willing heart.
When we understand who He is and how much He loves us, serving Him becomes less of a duty and more of a privilege.
God Knows Your Heart
Then David gives Solomon a sobering reminder:
“The Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought.”
God sees what other people cannot see.
He sees our motives.
He sees our private struggles.
He sees our fears.
He sees our desires.
He knows the thoughts we never speak aloud.
That could sound frightening, but for those who love God, it can actually be comforting.
God knows us completely—and He still loves us completely.
We don’t have to pretend before Him.
We can come honestly.
We can tell Him when we’re afraid. We can confess when we’ve failed. We can admit when our faith is weak. We can bring Him our dreams, questions, disappointments, and hopes.
God already knows our hearts. He simply wants us to open them to Him.
Seek Him and You Will Find Him
Perhaps the most encouraging promise in this passage is this:
“If you seek Him, you will find Him.”
God isn’t hiding from you.
He isn’t playing a game where you have to somehow discover the secret way to reach Him.
He invites you to seek Him.
Seek Him when life is going well.
Seek Him when life is difficult.
Seek Him when you understand what He is doing.
Seek Him when you don’t understand.
Seek Him in the morning.
Seek Him in prayer.
Seek Him in His Word.
Seek Him in worship.
Seek Him in the quiet moments of the day.
And keep seeking Him.
Sometimes we expect to experience God’s presence in dramatic ways. But often He meets us quietly—in a verse that suddenly speaks directly to our situation, in a moment of peace, in the conviction of the Holy Spirit, in the encouragement of another believer, or simply in the quiet assurance that we are not alone.
The promise remains:
If you seek Him, you will find Him.
Make Knowing God Your Greatest Pursuit
There are many things we can spend our lives pursuing: success, money, recognition, comfort, possessions, experiences, and even longevity.
But none of these compare with knowing God.
At the end of our lives, our greatest accomplishment will not be how much we accumulated or how many people knew our name.
It will be whether we knew the One who created us and loved us enough to send His Son for us.
So don’t settle for simply knowing about God.
Know Him.
Seek Him.
Worship Him.
Serve Him.
Give Him your whole heart.
Give Him your willing mind.
And when you seek Him, remember His promise:
“If you seek Him, you will find Him.”
That is a promise worth building your entire life upon.
A Prayer
Lord, I want to know You—not merely know about You. Teach me to seek You every day. Help me to worship You with my whole heart and serve You with a willing mind. Search my heart, reveal anything that keeps me from You, and help me surrender my plans, thoughts, dreams, and future into Your hands. Thank You for the promise that when I sincerely seek You, I will find You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
