Yes! You sure do. In fact, the Bible says so, too. Proverbs 10:24 reads: “What the wicked dread will overtake them; what the righteous desires will be granted.” (NIV) If you think it sounds like a warning with a blessing attached to those who obey Him, you’re absolutely right. We want our hearts to be right with God. We want to fully obey and have His full favor on our lives.
If you’ve made a mistake, and brought about the mess of your own making, it’s hard to believe that you could ever be in good standing with Him again, but our God is a God of U-turns. He is the God of second chances, one hundred second chances, and two thousand second chances.
You have an unlimited supply of mercy so long as you are wholeheartedly repentant and do your best to obey His word. God was never out to get you, nor ever going to forget you. He penned his love story to you personally in His Son’s blood. Not a lot of people would sacrifice their only precious son in hopes others would someday accept the atonement for sin and follow him. That’s an incomprehensible amount of passionate love. And once you accept Christ as your Savior, you are ushered into the throne of grace. You don’t need a veil, another human being, nor another sacrifice to speak boldly at the throne as you boldly bring your needs and your worship to your heavenly Father.
You are loved. You are wanted. You are the child of the King. He will do anything for you. He has already died for you. What’s a miracle or two? He is all about lavishing us with His love. In John 15:16, Jesus says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so whatever you ask in My name the Father will give you.” (NIV)
And again in John 16:23, Jesus says, “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” (NIV) The key is it must be God’s will.
God will not withhold any good thing, but since He has the bird’s-eye view of our lives, we need to trust that He ultimately knows best.
Building Intimacy
Building intimacy with anyone is built upon how well you know them. How can we know the Lord better? By delving into His word, seeing what the Bible says about His character, learning about the things He desires from us, and learning about His ways. He loves us so deeply, and His word exemplifies that. By digging into His word, you not only glean more about His heart, His desires, His ways, but about miraculous ways He set about to ensure you’ll be by His side for all eternity. The heart of the matter is this: intimacy with God, with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit—who lucky for us are one—is what He seeks most from us.
But which one to pray to? How are there three? Why? Just as water is made up of three parts, so is our triune God. In Ephesians 5:20, Paul urges us to pray all things in the name of Christ. “…always giving thanks to everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NIV) We pray through Jesus to our Father with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Everything we say to and through Jesus, our Father hears. There are no saints, no sinners, no other deities we pray to. Period. The Bible is firm in that and so should we be. Praying is simply a fancy term for talking to God. That’s it. We’re talking to Him—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all in one. Whether we’re petitioning Him for something, interceding for our friends and family, or simply shooting the breeze (which is totally acceptable), the Lord loves to have us digging in deep with Him, setting down roots, and spending time at His beautiful feet. There is no time wasted in simply communing with God. He wants us to. He hungers for us to come to Him with all things. He has opened His throne room to receive you, so don’t be afraid to set up shop at the altar and pour out your heart, pour out your praise and worship, pour out your entire being like spilling water. Do it twenty-four hours a day if you like. He is as accessible as your next breath. He is as close as your heart. He is always, always with you. Yes, He loves you that much. Philippians 4:6-7 reads: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (NIV)
I love that it starts off with the words don’t be anxious for anything, but in every situation—every, every situation bring it to God. He is taking care of us just the way a loving father would because He is one.
Which brings me to another important point. Have you noticed that the world has a way of interjecting any and everything in your way while you’re on your way to church on Sunday? Or maybe it’s the few minutes in the morning you steal to spend time with Him that get hijacked by just about every catastrophe under the sun? Yeah, that’s actually a thing. You see, when the enemy sees you getting closer to the Lord, he’ll do any and everything to thwart your efforts. Nothing frightens the enemy more than a determined, repentant human bent on obeying the Living God. Why? Because it means you’re on the right path. It means you are a serious believer who wants to glean more from God’s word, who wants to expunge every drop from it and apply it to
