Some weeks ago I was sitting in a beautiful oceanfront restaurant at sunrise. I was thinking about how wonderful God is to create such a beautiful world. I was watching people strolling on the beach, and they, too, were watching the sun as it began to rise. Then it was like I heard God saying, You see all those people? I am calling each of them to know Me.
God wants us to know Him. He wants us to believe Him. Just because we can’t see Him does not mean He is not there. He is closer than our breath. He is more alive than anything we have experienced. He wants us to let Him love us.
He calls out to His children, “Come to Me; draw near to Me.” But they don’t know it’s their Father God who is calling. They become distracted thinking about other things or letting people fill that void. But nothing or no one can possibly fill that intimate place that is prepared for God Himself.
Frustration sets in and we might be tempted to believe, He does not love me. He is too far away; He is too ‘high’ for me to attain. Those are lies and we have to learn the difference between the two voices.
How do we know the difference? Know that He loves us more than anyone else can. We can trust His love, His plan, His strength, and His grace. The Great I AM is whatever and whoever we need or want. Even the birds don’t go unfed. How much more does He want a relationship with us!
Where do we start? We just go to Him and tell Him our heart; we can entrust our heart to Him. He knows all the concerns of our heart already and He wants to heal it. He wants us to know that many of the desires in our hearts are from Him -- we just simply have not trusted Him enough to know those things are in His heart for us.
We begin with “create in me a clean heart, O, God.” He will clean out the places that we don’t know how to clean out. Though we put them there, He can clean them out. He does it so gently and in so much love that we will receive His peace and joy and develop a deeper trust and relationship with Him.
No one else can fill this need and special place like God with His precious Holy Spirit. He wants us to trust Him and His love for us. There is nothing to fear. Jesus said, “I came that you may have life and have it to the full.”
Make a decision to welcome the presence of God. We can come away with Him and experience all the peace and joy that the abundant life has for us. He is calling. This is His idea, not ours.
We must stop resisting and do what the word says: “Submit to Him and let Him truly abide in you and you abide in Him.”
What a wonderful adventure is ahead for us. All we need to do is make the decision!
He has paid a full ransom for his people. He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever. What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has! (Psalm 111:9 NLT)
Copyright © 2006 Sheila Weddle, used with permission.
