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| all scripture referenced in this post is from the New Living Translation Bible |
Last summer I was reading a book that stirred something in my spirit. It wasn’t the content of the book itself but rather it’s dedication that I couldn’t shake. And it simply said,
“To my mama, who always wanted God most.”
It was that one four letter word… MOST, so simple, yet so profound to me. I began to think, pray, and ask God, “what does it look like for a child of God to want you most?” Almost immediately, Joshua 23:8 came to mind...
..."but you shall cling tightly to the Lord your God.”
I absolutely love this word picture because I happen to be living a beautiful illustration of this Truth in my daily life. Being a mama to four young children means that at any given time of day I have a few, several or all four of my little people clinging tightly to me. No matter where I am or what I’m doing they are there with me. When I’m in the kitchen cooking they are literally underneath my feet. When I sit down they are beside me, on top of me and all around me. And yes, even in the bathroom they are right there. Why do they do this? Why do they always have to be where I am? It’s simple, because they want me most so they cling tightly to me. Of course, there are lots of things they love and plenty of people they adore but when I walk into a room they want me most so they cling tightly to me.
Isn’t that such a beautiful picture of what our Heavenly Father longs and desires from us, His beloved children. It’s exactly His Father’s heart towards us. So much so, it was His original plan from the very beginning. I love imagining what it must have been like in the Garden of Eden, for Adam & Eve to walk and talk with God... without distraction and without sin. In fact, we move so quickly in scripture from God created Adam & Eve to “the fall”... BUT what about the time in between? However long or short it was, can you imagine what it was like for Adam & Eve to walk WITH God, to talk and sing, and laugh, and worship, and discover WITH God. Creator & His creation in perfect communion... in beautiful uninterrupted fellowship. It breaks my heart every time I read Genesis 3:9, after Adam & Eve sinned, & God calls out to them...
"Where are you?”
Of course, He’s God. He knows where they are and what they’ve done... so I can’t help but to think that maybe God included these words on the pages of scripture because it magnifies the painful separation. Just a moment earlier they were in perfect fellowship with God and now they are not. I hear a Father’s heart breaking, aching, and mourning the separation between Him and His beloved children.
So He had a plan...
But the plan wasn’t just about the forgiveness of our sin, which would have been MORE then enough. It was also about RESTORING the FELLOWSHIP. And not just for this lifetime but for eternity. God could not imagine NOT being in fellowship with you and with me for eternity.
WHY? ...because He wants US most!
I pray you receive that as a personal word because God’s Word is clear that His love is not prejudice nor is it biased…"for God so loved the world that He gave His one & only Son…” His love for me and His love for you is perfect & it is equal.
God has made it abundantly clear that He wants us most, so I had to ask myself and very real & difficult question…
Do I want God?
I believe our need for God and our want for Him are two separate things. When I taught kindergarten I did a thematic unit on the differences between needs and wants. I had a big bulletin board divided into two columns, one for needs and the other for wants. The kids would bring in pictures & objects of things they want & things they need.
I don't know if you are like me but when I became a Christian, and everyday since, I have understood my deep need for God, for a Savior, a sacrificial Lamb to pay a debt I could not pay on my own, and that to live a holy life that God calls each of us to live, I cannot do that apart from a holy God.
So do I need God? Yes, absolutely I do! But do I want Him? Is He both in my needs column and also in my wants column? And if I want God, do I want Him most of all? Do I want Him more than …
the temporary pleasure of sin
the approval & opinions of others
possessions & wealth
the hopes & dreams I had for my own life
my husband & my children
And do I want Him more than life itself?
I believe our life is proof of what we want most based on what we are clinging tightly to
My children want me most and so they cling tightly to me & honestly I become tired & weary. But unlike me, God never tires of being the ONE we want most. He never runs out of energy, has a bad day, is too busy or overwhelmed, & His resources will never ever run dry. We can go to Him over and over again & every time He is more than enough to meet our needs & our wants.
Lastly, my children want me most because in my presence they know they are loved, they are at rest & peace, they have hope for that moment, and they know that I am a safe place for them. I desire for my children to be near to me so I call each of them by name because I love and adore them. For the same reasons, God calls each of us by name into His presence. He loves & adores us more than our minds can comprehend. And because He wants US most, now…
Love has a name
Peace has a name
Rest has a name
Hope has a name
Refuge has a name
And His name is Jesus!
I know many of us have imagined what it will be like to meet God face to face one day. Maybe you have imagined Him echoing the words in Matthew 25, "well done my good and faithful servant”. But how awesome if we could also imagine Him saying to us…
"my beloved child, who always wanted me most."
So the question I'm left asking myself is quite simple... What is it that I am clinging tightly to today? What is it that you are clinging tightly to today? Whatever it is, if it's not God, we can bring it to the throne of Grace. I can't guarantee it will be easy and may even be painful. Either way He is trustworthy, sensitive, and patient with us. He knows it is hard to unclench whatever we are holding on to so tightly. Let's be brave together and lay it down. It is worth the risk. No, He is worth the risk.
So amazing and so true. I NEED to WANT him more. I'm going to pray for this conviction daily. Thank you Shannon for spelling it out so perfectly
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