Saturday, July 24, 2010

God Is Waiting

"The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend." -- Exodus 33:11a

I just finished reading The Shack by William P. Young. I know. Everyone else read it a long time ago. It's still a wonderful book. It really made me think about just why the book is so popular. I believe that -- besides the good writing -- we love the book because we all want a loving, personal relationship with God.

We want it. But we aren't sure it's possible. See, God is all powerful. He punishes people for their sins. Just check out the Old Testament for specifics. I mean, He is so awesome that we really can't comprehend all that He is. So how can we possibly have a personal relationship with Him?

The simple answer is Jesus and the Holy Spirit. When we invite Jesus into our lives, He lives within us. That clears the way for us to approach God directly. Yeah. You heard that right. We get to talk directly with God. He wants us to. I know. It's mind-boggling.

The Holy Spirit even guides us throughout our lives when we shut up and listen. That last bit was directed at me not you. The Holy Spirit is the wonderful counselor God sent to us after Jesus ascended to heaven. See, we are never alone.

Humans were born with a longing for our Creator. We want to know Him. And He is the only One who can fill that space within us. It's natural that we would seek Him out, that we would want to be able to talk with Him and spend time with Him. And we can. If we could just understand that it really is possible.

I am a big believer in prayer. Everyone knows that about me. But prayer doesn't have to be formal. It doesn't always require you to get down on your knees. In fact, some of my best talks with God come when I am walking. Or driving. Or painting. Or doing any number of things throughout the day. It was so liberating to learn that I really could talk to God anywhere, at anytime, and He would listen. I don't even have to have a problem or request. I can tell Him how beautiful the sky is or how I enjoyed a book or, well, you get the picture.

I'm glad there are books like The Shack that show us how much God loves us. Yes, He is mighty and powerful. But He loves us. Really and truly. He wants us to seek Him out. He wants to be our friend, our Father, our mentor. Reach out and start talking. Then take time to listen. He's right there with you, participating in that conversation you once longed to have.