Share: Intimacy with a Father
I read this at the Faithwalkers Journal and had to share it here. So good!
by Rob Gerber
O my God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you; in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1
When you think of God, you have to think of Him as a God who is passionate about you. He is a father, a friend, a lover, and one who “gently leads those who have young” (Isaiah 40:11 NIV)—He very personally cares for you.
Your father may not have been like this. But you must believe that God reciprocates your desire for intimacy. If you doubt or forget His love, you’ll experience bitterness and despondency. So you need to drive the truths about God’s love for you into your soul. In my early days I listened to certain talks about God over and over on my walkman as I hiked to class each day at the university. For you it might be listening to Faithwalkers talks on an MP3. But you have to do it until these truths take root in your heart.
Do you actually believe that God desires intimacy with you? He is jealous for you like a lover—He wants your heart for Himself. His command is: “… you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Exodus 34:14). God wants you for His own! Jesus, looking over Jerusalem, said, “… how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing” (Luke 13:34 NIV). His fatherly tenderness and desire to protect are so evident here. And what does he say to his friends when he knows it is His last evening with them? “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15 NIV). He longed for their fellowship and friendship. And this is God’s heart toward you!
