This is the first part of a series I’m starting entitled “The God I Wish You Knew”. If you’d like a refresher on what it’s all about, I made a post previously introducing the series here.

The first misconception about God that I will address is the idea that He is distant from us. A belief that kind of coincides with this is that he is not only far away but that He is too busy for us and not really interested in us. It’s like He just tolerates us but if He had His choice He’d have nothing to do with us at all.

It’s funny because it seems like every Saturday Night Live skit I see with God in it, it seems they depict Him as someone who has no time for us. Like this one below for example. Right around the 1 minute 20 second mark is the comment I’m referring to.

The problem with this kind of logic is that it is trying to understand an infinite God with a finite human mind. He is omnipotent, meaning He can be all places at all times. It’s something we can’t wrap our heads around.

So what makes me think that He is near to us and He is concerned with even the smallest areas of our lives? Here’s some scriptures for ya:

• Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
• Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
• The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. Psalm 145:18
• Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4
• Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20

Ok, so if those scriptures are true, why does God seem so far at times? James says draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). This doesn’t mean that God is hiding from you, it just means that if you choose to focus on God, you will become more aware of Him. He is speaking to us all the time, it’s just that we are not listening most of the time. Psalm 46:10 says Be still and know that I am God. He is pursuing you and if you’d just stop running, the waves of His love would run into you.

There are several scriptures that actually talk about God making His home in us. I know this might seem weird and even blasphemous to some, but here are scriptures to back it up:

• John 14:23

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.

• Colossians 1:27

to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

• 1 Corinthians 3:16

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

• Ephesians 3:16-17

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.

Think about this material below paraphrased from Greg Henry:

“God could have lived anywhere. Where did He choose to dwell? In us. Like they say, home is where the heart is. His heart is with us. Home is where you lay your head to rest. God couldn’t rest until he was able to live with us, He wasn’t satisfied otherwise. God has found His rest in mankind. We find our rest in Him. It’s a beautiful thing. It pleased God to be man, it wasn’t like we should say poor Jesus that He had to do that. He is not embarrassed of us. He’s not ashamed to call us His dwelling place. It was his good pleasure to do so.”

I heard Bertie Brits give this analogy before as well. Why do people have kids? Because they want to share their life with them. Imagine the best day you had and if you had nobody to share it with. God wanted to share His quality of life with somebody. We are called His children and were created to fellowship and share in His quality of life.

I understand it may be hard for some of you to grasp this concept, especially because of your circumstances and/or things that have happened to you in the past. It won’t always seem like God is close to you. If that is the case with you, and you are having a hard time believing this, it’s ok. It doesn’t mean you are a bad person or non-believer. Even as a believer, I lived many years thinking God was not pleased with me. And I heard many times that He wasn’t but I needed a lot of convincing. I was very hard on myself.

God knows that you will need persuading in this area and He takes that responsibility upon Himself. Just ask Him to open your eyes to the truth and how He is persuading you. Let your heart go to rest that God is working in your life. You don’t have to live this life alone and on your own ability. There is a God who is close to you and desires to be involved in every area of your life. He is a gentlemen though and respects your free will. He will not force Himself upon you. I pray that you will let Him into every area of your life. It would be the best decision you could ever make.