In the last 10 years or so, I have grown so much in my desire to have a truly personal and intimate relationship with God. My passion for Him and His voice is so much more than I ever thought possible. I truly want to hear what He has to say. I want to see what He sees. I want Him to show me everything. I long deeply for the things of God and for a bigger and more personal relationship with Him. Honestly, if you know me at all, this is probably not a surprise to you. In fact, if you have much of a relationship with me, I have probably asked you this question, “What is God saying to you right now?” Many have thought when I asked them that question that I was busy checking up on them to see if they were truly engaging in a relationship with God. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The real reason I ask that question is because I’m so thirsty for God that I want to make sure He isn’t telling you something I haven’t heard Him say yet. Side note, if He is telling you something cool, when you finish this blog post, I would love it if you shared the cool things God is speaking to you with me.
How do you become thirsty for God? How does one grow in their passion and desire to be with God and become more intimately acquainted with Him? Well, for me, I’m still on that journey of discovery. This I do know, everything I have discovered about Him makes me want even more to go deeper, to hear more clearly, and causes me to love Him even more. There is a familiar verse, Psalm 42:1 “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for Thee, O God.”(NASB)I have heard this verse for so many years. It conveys so well the longing that many people have for the things of God, even more so for the desire to encounter God’s presence and His voice. The more I get to know Him, the more I hear His voice, the more I want. The more you know God the more you want to know. Isn’t fun because He created us that way?
If the more you know about God, the more you want to know about Him. How does that happen? Well, I think one of the first discoveries we need to make on that journey into relationship with God is that it was His desire to have relationship with us that started all of this. God created mankind in the garden of Eden. (Genesis 1) However, because man’s desire was to be more like God, not know Him more, mankind made some decisions that created a distance between God and us. God’s longing for us caused Him to send His only Son, Jesus to Earth to live and die so that we could be restored to a relationship with Him. (John 3:16) God’s passion for us was so great that He was willing to give up everything for us. You are that important to Him. He even wanted a relationship with you so much that He was willing to give everything even though our rejection of Him was a real possibility. What kind of person does that?
“Every single moment you are thinking of me! How precious and wonderful to consider that you cherish me constantly in your every thought! O God, your desires toward me are more than the grains of sand on every shore.” Psalm 139:17-18 (TPT)
God is truly thirsty for a relationship with you. He never stops thinking about you. You are the very center of His thoughts at every moment of every day. How precious must you be for Him to live His life that way? In a world where we are all chasing significance and unconditional love, there is truly one place where that can be found. In a relationship with a truly loving Father, a God who created you so that He could spend eternity loving you, speaking to you, and opening the good treasures of His heart to you. How do you reject such a great love as that? All of this comes simply from having a relationship with Him. Starting that relationship rests now on you. God will never impose Himself on anyone. He gives us the freedom to choose Him. Would you consider starting a relationship with Him today if you have never done that? It’s simple. Romans 10:9 says, “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Make that simple decision today and start the most amazing journey of your life. Get into a Bible believing church and let someone help you discover just how amazing having a relationship with God is.
Maybe you have already made the decision to have a relationship with God. Maybe you have gotten away from thirsting for the Lord. I want to encourage you to go back to the place of inviting God to show you just how amazing He is. Ask Him to create a desire in you for Him. He is glad to do that. Maybe today all you need is to just remember that as much as you could ever long for Him, He longs for you even more. God thirsts for a relationship with you!
