Knowing the Father's Love
Knowing the Father's love is what it means to know the Father, because God is love 1 John 4:8. Love is the singular word that defines all of God. The Father's love is known through relationship with God John 14:23.
True, full relationship with God begins with knowing the Word John 8:31-32, is bolstered by prayer Matthew 6:6, and matures through communicating with the Holy Spirit 2 Corinthians 13:14.
Healthy relationships depend on mutual give-and-take communication (listening and speaking). Only through communication with the Spirit do we actually experience the kind of give-and-take relationship with God that Jesus experienced John 5:19-20, John 8:26.
Scripture says that prayer builds your faith Jude 1:20 and it removes anxiety, focuses the mind, and brings peace Philippians 4:6-7.
In the Old and New Testament, people pray, ask God questions, and they receive answers Psalm 27:4, 2 Samuel 5:19, 2 Corinthians 12:8-9. Some, like Abraham, even reason with God like a friend Genesis 18:17-33. Relationship with God through prayer and mutual communication is all over the Bible!
Knowing the Word is essential; it renews the mind Romans 12:2. But it's not until we know how to hear from and communicate with the Spirit that we are truly walking with God like Jesus did Luke 4:1, John 3:32-35, Acts 1:2, John 14:25-26. He's our example to follow.
Prophets of the Old Testament, who truly heard from God, were scarce. But when Jesus came, He said that His Spirit would be given that we could hear from God!
And God even prophesied through Jeremiah, in the Old Testament: “No more will every man teach his neighbor, or his brother, saying, 'know the Lord', for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord” Jeremiah 31:34.