Connecting with God
So we’ll be ready when the time comes
| Connecting with God | Connecting with Truth | An Audacious Future |
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Part 1: Connecting with God
When Elijah departed in a whirlwind, Elisha asked an unusual question. Instead of contemplating his mentor’s whereabouts, the prophet demanded:
“Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” (2 Kings 2:14)
Job cried, “Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come to His seat!” (Job 23:3) He laments, “Look, I go forward, but He is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive Him; When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold; When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him” (Job 23:8-9). When God seems to be missing, we are tempted to assign blame―or make excuses. Sometimes we blame ourselves, circumstances, or the church. Occasionally we blame God.
When the Holy Spirit speaks, love dominates the conversation. Prophecy and love complement one another with elegant precision. Together they convey God’s thoughts and reveal His passionate heart. Paul wrote,
Pursue love, yet desire earnestly the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. (1 Cor 14:1 ESV)
Love transforms information into vital revelation. It reveals the truth about God in relation to His affectionate desire for us. Our Heavenly Father loves us so well because He knows us so well. Made in His image, we hold immense value in God’s sight. He esteems us as we are and He fully appreciates who we will become. True prophecy compels us to explore our divine design more carefully so we might discover who we are and who we are destined to be.
Omnipresence defines God; it’s an essential attribute with exclusive distinction. God alone inhabits eternity. Whether He manifests Himself or not, God neither comes nor goes. Whether we notice His influence or not He always abides everywhere.
God is spirit; He lives without the constraint of time and space. Relegating Him to an obscure heaven imposes an unwarranted barrier between us. The distance that separates God from us does not change as we think of change―only our perception changes. Any separation that we feel from time to time or from place to place does not come from reality; it comes from blind spots in our sensitivity.
Our Heavenly Father reveals Himself from behind the scenes, beneath the surface, beyond the moment, and above the fray. He created us with both natural and spiritual senses, so we can notice His distinctive attributes and supernatural accomplishments. They are evident to us, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made”. Filled with the Holy Spirit, we perceive reality by peering through layers of wisdom and levels of revelation. Since we share in His “divine nature”, we possess “the knowledge of truth” to live life with prevailing joy, perpetual peace, and permanent love. Religion as usual, business as usual, life as usual—no longer apply.
Before ascending into heaven, Jesus promised His disciples an unprecedented advantage. He said,
“It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7)
Jesus fulfilled this promise by sending His Spirit to escort us beyond previous thresholds in history. Filled with the Spirit, our advantage extends beyond what apostles and prophets experienced long ago. We are standing on the shoulders of some and drafting behind the momentum of others. Patriarchs and matriarchs connected with God in extraordinary ways―but they are not the final standard to which we aspire. Abraham, Sarah, Moses, David, and Paul did not set the boundary for our relationship with Christ. Ancient relationships do not dictate what God offers us today.
Jesus admonished His disciples saying:
Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life―to God!―is vigorous and requires total attention. (Mat 7:13-14 MSG)
There are no substitutes for seeking the Lord wholeheartedly. As we gain spiritual insight, the truth about God overshadows ‘religion by convenience’. As we gain living understanding, our tendency to procrastinate diminishes. The prospect of connecting with God activates a dynamic response―one that sweeps us off our feet and compels us to follow. Persistent hope fuels this quest with perseverance and patience.
Adam and Eve expected to gain good food and supplemental wisdom when they adopted Satan’s self-improvement scheme. Yet, God had explicitly warned them, “you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die (Genesis 2:17 NIV). Nonetheless,
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. (Gen 3:6 NIV)
Adam and Eve strayed from where God had aimed them. They missed their mark; sin literally means, “missing the mark”. Pointing where they did not belong, Adam and Eve found themselves stuck headlong in Satan’s target.
Life-threatening storms arrest our attention with deadly peril. Whether material or symbolic, they evoke an urgency to connect with God. Storms evict us from our comfort zone, yank us from lethargy, and refocus our priorities.
Job’s Encounter
After losing his children, servants, and livestock, Job wanted more than a theological explanation. He wanted his family back; he wanted his faithful servants and hard-earned fortune back. Stricken with painful boils, Job wanted more than a medical explanation; he wanted his health back. From a posture of extreme desperation, Job pondered, probed, prayed, and eventually demanded a breakthrough in his relationship with God. From the tempest of a storm, God addressed Job’s greatest need.
Connecting with Christ means fitting in where He invites us. Jesus designed us to embrace the full passion of His infinite love. Anywhere else misses the mark of our intended call. God’s greatest command exalts love with paramount priority. It challenges us to indulge in His divine nature―for God is love. Conceived in His image, our heart longs for His deliberate affection; we crave His intentional desire.
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (I John 4:8 ESV)
This message does not resonate with those wanting to fit God into their carnal frame of reference. God is far too big to comprehend let alone contain in a human paradigm. Mortal finitude cannot accommodate divine perfection. Adding some religion to the daily grind will not compensate for a lopsided agenda. Jesus will not confine His divine nature to a stunted religious program. Relegating Him to any single part of our life will prove unsatisfactory. Reducing Him to a few chosen categories will never work. Jesus will not be content occupying a sliver of our pie chart.
Ravi Zacharias points out that Christianity, like every other religion, asserts a point of exclusion. Jesus Christ personifies that point with unequivocal veracity. Apart from Him, the restoration of our relationship cannot proceed. Jesus said:
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. (John 14:6)
Fully God and fully man, Jesus died for our sins and then rose from the dead for our salvation. No other provision allows fated sinners to reconnect with their Heavenly Father. Without exception, alternate claims are bogus counterfeits. Despite pious rhetoric and pompous promises, imposters never come close to reconnecting us with our Heavenly Father.
