CHARISSA CHEONG reflects on what the Bible says about God’s desire to connect with us…
London, UK
PICTURE: Ümit Bulut/Unsplash
“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom” – Luke 12:32
“Is God really there?” I’m sure many of us, whether we call ourselves Christians or not, have found ourselves asking this question on occasion.
For me, I found myself questioning the presence of God a couple of weeks ago as I was pressing into the area of prophecy and hearing from God with a group of friends from church. As we looked more and more into what it means to hear God’s voice, I was attacked by invasive thoughts that tried to convince me that I was not actually hearing from God, and that such a Holy God would not want to speak directly to someone like me.
“I’ve come to believe this verse speaks to our spiritual needs, and not just our material ones. So many of us have faith that God will provide for us in a physical sense…But do we also believe that it is His good pleasure to speak to us when we ask to hear His voice, to hold us when we ask to be held, and to show us visions of Heaven when we ask to see His face?”
This lie took me to a rather dark place, where I doubted the unconditional love of God, my Father, but this verse, among others, helped me break through the lies and receive the truth.
This verse tells us that it is God’s “good pleasure”, in other words, His delight, to give us the Kingdom of Heaven. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus speaks this verse in the context of material needs, telling us that we do not need to worry about what we will eat or drink, because our Father delights to provide for us. As someone living in the UK right now, as our nation undergoes a cost of living crisis, a verse like this is remarkably reassuring.
But I’ve come to believe this verse speaks to our spiritual needs, and not just our material ones. So many of us have faith that God will provide for us in a physical sense, because we know we are blessed to have roofs over our heads and food on the table, and it is indeed our Father’s good pleasure to give us these things. But do we also believe that it is His good pleasure to speak to us when we ask to hear His voice, to hold us when we ask to be held, and to show us visions of Heaven when we ask to see His face?
For too long, I have believed the lie that God speaks to other, more special people, but does not desire to speak to me. How wrong of me to think a loving Father, who desires to give to us so generously, and who gave His very self for us on the cross, would withhold His own voice from me.
I’ve recently been reading the book of Esther, and in it I learned about King Xerxes, a human ruler who liked Esther so much that he was willing to give her anything she asked, even if it was “half” of his kingdom. If a sinful, human king is willing to give so generously to someone, simply because he took a liking to her, then how much more does our Father in Heaven delight in giving us the Kingdom!
We rely on our readers to fund Sight's work - become a financial supporter today!
For more information, head to our Subscriber's page.
The more I receive the truth that God has and will continue to speak to me, the more I am able to actually hear His voice and benefit from His guidance. If you’re someone who has asked God to speak to You, but are still unconvinced that He will, may I encourage you to break agreement with any lies you are believing that God is withholding Himself or hiding from you, and invite you to receive the truth that we serve a God who speaks to His beloved flock.
And for those of you who find yourselves still asking the question, “Is God really there” when I speak to Him, may I invite you to meditate on one of the Hebrew names used to describe our God in the book of Ezekiel – “Yahweh Shammah” (“The Lord who is there”).
