Maybe today, you are feeling alone and far away from God. Perhaps you don’t feel one with Him like the way everyone claims they are with God. I want to rekindle this in your heart again, reminding you that you can never be separated from God. He is in you and you are in Him. The day you welcomed Jesus Christ into your life, you became ONE with Him. His Spirit now dwells in you. Each grain of Him is in you when you entered this marriage union. What’s His is yours and what’s yours is His. Your hurt is His hurt, your pain is His pain and your joy is His joy.
This relationship reminds me of the salt covenant: an ancient practice carried out in a marriage ceremony. The bride and the groom each pour their salt into one vessel; the mixing of each grain together symbolises their inseparable relationship. So, this union between you and God becomes an inseparable relationship, too.
Now to everything there is a season. Sometimes we don’t really choose the seasons we want to be in, it just happens. But in life we need to embrace the highs and lows. I guess that’s what makes us human, we have to experience some bad times. Whatever your winter is, seasons will change eventually. And the happy days will come again.
But why is it that we only seek God in our darkest moments? Is it just human nature to call out His name only when we are going through troubled times? Are we guilty of using His name in vain? We pray more, we pledge more and sometimes we even beg. God is not a magic wand that we keep in a box, to pull out at our own convenience, to ‘wand’ off the wrongs in our life. We look for God frantically; crying out, “Where is God now when I need Him the most?”
There were many challenges times in my own life, when I shouted out to God, “I don’t need this, and I don’t desire this, not me. Why is this happening God?” I tried to fix the wrongs, either caused by myself or others, by trying to find revengeful solutions. And in that moment I was reminded of the song I sang in Sunday school. The lyrics are from the very popular scripture of Psalms 91 verse 1, which goes like this:
“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust”. This imagery of a sheltered place under the wing of a great God keeps me anchored and fearless. And at that point, I knew that having done everything humanly possible, God is still all knowing and in control of my dilemmas. And His secret place became my secret place.
Have you ever witnessed a child in fear? He will run to his father and hold onto his legs, burying his face into him, afraid to look up into the face of evil. But Father will then put his protective arm around his son, over his head, comforting and calming him down. And with a gentle voice he will say, “There, it’s ok. I am here.”
We know that God dwells in us. We house this majestic, magnificent God, the same God who created the heavens and the earth. How privileged we must be if God dwells in me and you. Wow! Say this a few times and let it sink in.
So when last have you spoken to the guest in your home?
Can you imagine living with someone who is there all the time but you never acknowledge Him? He goes with you wherever you go, but you never once said, “I see you, I know that you are with me.” How awful? But in the time of lack and need, we scream out and ask, “God, why has thou forsaken me?’
To connect to God is simply acknowledging that God is with you all the time. It’s as simple as that; we are in a union of oneness with God, wherever we go, He goes.
I want to share one of my favourite psalms with you. Psalms 139:7-10 (NIV) states:
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast”.
You need to remind yourself today that He is with you no matter what. Hell and high waters, our God is here for you. Even when your feel like hope is lost, and your situation is too far gone, He is still able to love and hold on to you. You just need to know that He never left in the first place.
Here are 4 ways that you can be one with God:
1. Come before Him with transparency
When you come before God, come with a heart of repentance and surrender. Stand before Him knowing that He knows all. Stand as transparent as glass before Him. There is nothing hidden, don’t hold back. Your heart in His hands and you totally trust Him. Rely on Him and depend on Him.
Psalms 139: 1-3 (NIV) says:
“You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.”
So hide nothing from Him as He is all-knowing. Through the good and the bad times, He knows it all. Part of being one with God is being true to yourself and true to God. You need to be honest about your anger, your hurt, your joy, your resentment and your failures. Even if your emotions are like a whirlpool, let God know.
2. Talk to Him
To many, this may just sound strange. We don’t need to always pray or talk to God aloud. I find the most powerful prayer to God is the one spoken from within. This reminds me of strong determined woman in the Bible called Hannah. She was one of the two wives of Elkanah. We read about her in 1 Samuel chapter 1. Hannah was in a place of hopelessness. Her failure to conceive a baby broke her year after year as she cried before God.
1 Samuel 1:9-12 (NIV) we read that:
“Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house. 10 In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. 11 And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.
12 As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk…”
How powerful her prayer must have been to the ears of God, that her prayer moved and changed the heart of God. She didn’t need anyone to hear her in her desperation, her voice was not heard; this matter was just between herself and God.
Talk to God, He waits to hear from you. Talk to Him in the way you are most comfortable with.
3. Praise and Worship Him
The power of praise and worship is my most favourite act of love to God. Praise and worship is simply your way of loving God. Your connection through praise and worship with Him will help you stay and dwell in Him. It’s a love language communicated between you and God.
Praise means to sing, to tell of, to give, to dance, to clap your hands as an outward response to the way you love God. Worship is a deep expression of reverence and adorations, where your heart and life is in total submission to Him. We know that through the word of God, the Father seeks true worship and we read of this in John 4:23 (NIV): “ Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” I am always moved by this scripture. To know that the Father desires my worship, is more than enough to convince me that I am needed by God to worship Him.
Hannah’s prayer was heard, she gave birth to Samuel soon after she prayed. But we also read that in 1 Samuel 1:19 (NIV):
19 “Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her.”
Notice that there was one more ingredient to the recipe of God knowing you enough to answer your prayer and that was worship.
4. Mediate on His word
You want to be one with God, then its starts by knowing what He is all about, His teachings, His life, His sufferings, and His plan for you. Amazingly, you will find it all in His word.
You have probably heard this before, but I am going to say it anyway: you were created with a manual; the Bible is your manual. So when you break down, open your manual, and learn how to fix the trouble.
Many find reading the Bible a challenge. I guess this may be because you don’t know where to start. There are many bible reading apps available to help and guide you on what to read; an audio Bible is also a good way to start. I find that the aim is not to finish the Bible but rather attempt reading with a slow and patient approach. Read, digest and ponder upon what you are reading, close your eyes and try to hear from God what is He teaching you through the word you just read. Don’t be afraid to make notes on your Bible, write your thoughts and even the date when His word becomes alive to you.
His word is a light in your darkness place.
Psalms 119:105 (NIV) says: “ Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path”.
Let Him draw you closer and comfort you with His word. I leave you with this poem entitled “Letters to God” by Glass Wright.
“Letters to God”
I was Your thought, before I was an embryo. I have been Your love from the day I was conceived. You held me in Your marvelous hands, and formed me into Earth’s child. You have been a friend, a father, a comforter. You’ve shown me what unconditional love is; so much so, that I hope that one day I can love even a fraction of the way You love me.
I fail You often, and daily, and will fail You countless times to come. Yet, You still watch over me when I sleep, and care for me when I fall. You listen to my everyday complaints, insecurities and fears, with comfort and mercy. Seeking Your heart has been my life’s greatest adventure. There is no fault in You and what you do. Every pain You use to bring joy. You have no hidden agendas, no ill-intent.You only seek to benefit me. There is no evil in You, for You are the God of light and love. You are Love. And so, Love can only mean that You will always protect.
Glass Wright (www.glasswrights.com)