Do you love God only in the good times? Do your feelings and your attitude change during the storms in life? Or perhaps you only go to Him in prayer when there ARE storms in your life? Do you blame God when things don’t go the way you think they should go? Or do you turn to Him for comfort during your deepest darkest moments? Here’s how I see it…
Think about the type of friend you are to someone else, or the type of friend they are to you. How would you feel if you loved this friend, but the only time you heard from them was when they wanted something from you? Be honest. Wouldn’t that sadden you just a little? What if they only remembered you existed when they needed an ear to bend, never once asking about you or considering what you wanted in friendship? Long soliloquies about them, them, them with no reference to you whatsoever. That would get kind of old, wouldn’t it?
Well thank God HE Is not like US. Thank God that He doesn’t LOVE like we do. The Bible tells us in Psalm 86:15:
“But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.”
Hey can I tell you what shouldn’t BE a secret?
GOD IS GOOD
Seriously, He is.
GOD IS GOOD… ALL THE TIME!
Through ALL the hills and valleys in life. And He never leaves nor forsakes those who have given their hearts and their lives to Him! He’s with you ALL the way! In sunshine and in rain, in singing and in pain! He IS the lifter of my head! “What a friend I have in Jesus” – My heart swells with appreciation and love as I type out these words. In order to really experience intimacy and a deep “friendship” with God, you have to do what is important in ANY relationship – work on it. I like to tell MY friends that:
THE ROAD GOES BOTH WAYS IN FRIENDSHIP
A true friendship is not a “one way road.” Intimacy with God CAN be developed! It really CAN! You just have to want it! The Bible says in James 4:8:
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
God DESIRES a personal relationship with you! He loves you SO SO much! I wish I could find the most adequate words to write to describe just how wonderful it is to BE in a relationship with the One who sent His Son, to die on the cross for forgiveness of MY sins. It is satisfying, it is rich! It is an all encompassing type of love. There is healing in His love! There is purpose in His love! And yes, there is such AMAZING joy! And the absolute awe of knowing that God DESIRES and DELIGHTS in having a relationship with lil’ ol’ me!!!! 🙂 Oh the joy that will flood your soul! Some of you right now are raising an eyebrow at me in disbelief. You are pursing your lips together looking like you have been sucking persimmons and saying behind my back:
“That is simply not possible. What she is writing about God is disrespectful!”
If that is you, my heart goes out to you. The Pharisees of old pretty much carried that same mantra. The truth IS that God IS Holy – YES! BUT He is also PERSONABLE. And the ONLY way to know that and experience it for yourself, is to as in Psalm 34:8:
“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”
I CAN understand WHY as in 2 Samuel 6:14 it says:
“And David danced before the LORD with all his might.”
To enter into a personal relationship with God, by making a personal confession of faith (accepting Him as Savior AND making Him Lord over your life) is the very best thing you can EVER decide to do. Lots of people believer Jesus was the Savior, but how many of you reading this have done the second part of that? Made Him Lord OVER your life? The Bible says in James 2:19
“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.”
It is NOT enough to acknowledge that Jesus IS the Savior. You have to make Him Lord OVER your life and it is something that once you do, it affects your life EVERY DAY. Galatians 2:20 says it all right there:
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Intimacy with God CAN be developed, listen – as long as we have breath in our bodies (and are open to Holy Spirit doing it) He REFINES and TRANFORMS our minds. I am NOT the same person I was before I accepted Christ, 35 years ago. It is hard for me to believe that 35 years have gone by since I made the decision for Jesus. Who would have known that praying:
“Father God, I thank You for leaving the glories of Heaven to come down in the form of man (Jesus) to restore a relationship with me. Born of the virgin Mary, You Lived and were crucified on the cross for my sake (and for those reading this). I thank You for Your forgiveness of my sins, I thank You for Your grace. I thank You for Your mercy. I thank You that You LOVED me enough to die on the cross for forgiveness of sins you NEVER even committed. You died for MY sins. Thank You Father! Thank You Jesus! Thank You Holy Spirit for removing the spiritual blinders OFF my eyes and bringing me into the good and perfect knowledge of Jesus and ALL He did for me. Even now Your Word tells me that Jesus is seated on the right hand of the Father interceding on MY behalf! Thank You Lord! Father, I BELIEVE that You sent Jesus to restore a right relationship with You! Please forgive me for my sins! Wash me in His precious blood. I BELIEVE Jesus IS the Savior and on my own accord, my own free-will, I CHOOSE to make Him Lord OVER my life! For EVERY day You gift me with! Jesus, please come into my life and be my Lord and Savior! I choose YOU! Show me Holy Spirit how to draw closer to God and to establish a deep and personal relationship with Him. I thank You for hearing my prayer, in Jesus’ precious name I pray – AMEN.”
During the deepest darkest moments of my life (and there have been quite a few…) Instead of running away from the One who is BIGGER than my situation, I find myself wrapping my arms tighter around my Father’s neck – like a child refusing to let go. He IS my comfort. He IS my protection from the storms in life. He IS the lifter of my head. When I don’t know what to do – I turn to the One I know who does…
It wasn’t always that way… I like to believe that we learn from experience (and if we don’t, we really should…). There was a time when I willfully turned away from God, like the story of the prodigal son, I turned my back on my Father, and it was the absolute worst thing I could have ever done…
So many view God as a stern figure, shaking His finger with a foreboding look on His face. That’s not the Father I have come to know, not by any means… If you want to see for yourself what a friend you can have in Jesus, He will NEVER be a “fair-weather” friend, He will ALWAYS be there for you, you just have to determine to “taste and see” for yourself and get to know Him and draw closer to Him to experience the absolute BEST kind of intimacy with God that you can. You do this by talking WITH Him in prayer and reading His Living Word (the Bible). Even before God created you, He did so with the utmost desire of closeness. Listen, God does NOT love as man does. God loves BIG. And the ONLY way you can know what I’m saying (what I personally can testify to myself) is to determine to find out for yourself. The absolute BEST relationship you will EVER experience, and it is yours for ALL eternity! Praise the Lord!
Is Holy Spirit speaking to your heart through this word? If so, leave a comment below! I love hearing from you!
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