As humans, we were created for connection and relationship. It’s pretty plain. Just look at the beginning of the human creation. God didn’t find loneliness ideal for Adam, so He gave him Eve (Genesis 2:18). So, it’s fair (and pretty accurate) to conclude that we all desire love, affection, attention, and relationship in some way. Though the desire for human connection is totally natural, there is (and should be) nothing more natural and organic than the desire to connect to God – the Creator, the Maker, the Father.

First things first, the ONLY WAY to God the Father is through His Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:6-7). If you deny the Son, you deny the father. If you accept the Son (as your Savior), you accept the Father (1 John 2:23). The reason is this: We (human beings) were created in God’s image to rule in the earth and over everything in it (Genesis 1:27-28), but when Adam and Eve allowed the devil to convince them to disobey God by eating the forbidden fruit, sin infiltrated the human race (Genesis 3:6-7), which is a BARRIER between us and God when NOT ATONED FOR. That’s why the old testament is filled with requirements of sin offerings (Leviticus 16:15-16). This was required to cleanse the people of their sins. Yet sin still reigned among the human race, generation after generation. Thank God for Jesus who hit the scene to put an END to the sin that had humanity bound since Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit. Jesus made the ULTIMATE ATONEMENT for all of mankind by offering His body as a living sacrifice, conquering evil, rising 3 days later, ascending to heaven, and providing the Holy Spirit so that we NEVER have to be separated from God again (Hebrews 10:14-18; Hebrews 9:11-14; 1 Timothy 2:5-6). A pretty sweet deal if you ask me!

With ALL that being stated, I all the more emphasize the fact that there should be no one (or nothing) that we desire more than a connection to God. We were simply made for it since day 1! Adam and Eve jacked things all up by opening the door to sin (which turns us away from God), so what? Jesus came and gave His life to turn us back to God, redeeming us from the strongholds and bondage of sin, and restoring us back to our rightful position with (and in) God – where we always belonged. There has never been, is not, nor will there ever be a greater power or a greater love.

No one else can ever do that for us. We certainly don’t have the power to save ourselves. Our GREATEST relationship goals should NOT be friends, spouses, etc. (though those are very natural desires we are meant to enjoy). Our GREATEST relationship goal SHOULD BE the King of Glory, the Eternal One, the Most High – our God. It’s funny because I’ve had conversations with atheists and agnostics who even admit that they occasionally feel connected to a higher power (especially when they’re admiring the beauty of nature – the nature that God created! <— another blog entry for another time!). It is so uncool to allow other relationship goals to take precedence over God.

People are fickle. We all have ups and downs, we all change our minds from time to time, we are all indecisive from time to time, we all make bad choices sometimes, and we all fail. It’s just part of being human. So when we think people can heal us, save us, fill our voids, meet every expectation, make us whole, fulfill us, etc., we are setting ourselves up for great disappointment and frustration. Now, I’m not saying that people can’t help facilitate some of these things in our lives. Surely God uses people to bless each other greatly. What I am saying is God can do far above what we can imagine (Ephesians 3:20). His thoughts are FAR above any human thought. His strength is above any human strength (Isaiah 55:8; 1 Corinthians 1:25). People can’t keep us in perfect peace amidst the many storms life can bring – BUT GOD CAN (Isaiah 26:3-4). People can’t make everything work out for our benefit – BUT GOD CAN (Romans 8:28). People can’t give us true, lasting hope and a promising future – BUT GOD CAN (Jeremiah 29:11). The list goes on and on, forever and ever.

Above all, God longs to be with His children. He loves us. This is the exact reason He sent His Son, Jesus, who knew NO SIN, to die for our sin, to break the power of sin off of us, so we can enjoy the ultimate relationship with Him (John 3:16-17). We should NEVER seek a relationship with God just to get what we want. I did this for years and I remained in a place of frustration. We should yearn for a relationship with God because He is good, kind, and magnificent. He extends mercy and grace to all. Each day is a new beginning – a new opportunity to fix our mistakes and repent. God is looking for true worshippers (John 4:23). Like us, He wants to be adored and loved – it only makes sense. If we were created in His image, our desire for relationships must come from Him! So let’s make the king our number 1 relationship goal (Matthew 6:33), because He has made us His.

May our love for Him burn like a fire.