I pause at the door, I’m eternally drawn to it
A million times I’ve been through it
A zillion more through eternity: yes,
My forever resort. I push open the door
I enter and there He is, resplendent in glory
Seated on the Throne of ages; King of kings
Master of the universe. I kneel at His feet
Rest my head in His laps, hands wrapped around
His legs: this, my hiding place, my forever home.

He’s not surprised, it’s our ritual. He knows me,
A worshipper. Today He sees worship and burden bowed,
“What do you want precious one?”
“Abba”, I barely muttered, “Too much out there: shield me.”
He rubs my hair a while, raises my head, His eyes on me
Holding my wearied gaze in the pool of love eternal
King of my heart and dreams declared,
“I Am your Shield, your exceeding great Reward.”
Relief, like a flood wipes stress off my face, replacing
Worry-lines and aging-frown with soothing smile
Quietly, I return my head to its favorite place
And in peace entered His rest

A gentle man fell off the cliff and found himself dangling at a very perilous edge.  He lifted his voice and called, “God! Help me!” The voice of God came across to him as he hung between life and death, “Lift up your hands in trust and I will deliver you.” As disappointment kicked his desperation in the teeth, he mustered every strength he could and wailed, “Somebody help me! This God doesn’t want to help me!” First time I heard this analogy, I laughed but it stuck and has stayed with me for decades.

Allow me to ask a very personal question: what is your relationship with God like? I recall a song I learned as a child, “How do you treat GOD, how do you treat God, like a GOD or a DOG, how do you treat God?” Who and what is God to you right now? A lot of us are Christians by choice, by claim, by birth, by inheritance and by our circumstances. And for some of us, Christisnity is our only way of life. Oftentimes, we allow the pressures of life get in between and turn us to strangers to the most intimate Person and relationship we have. We let circumstances we find ourselves in turn us into pushing and forcing and manipulating the One person who truly cares more than we can ever tell. We command and demand and when it seems He fails to perform, we turn our backs on Him.

We blame others for crashing our faith and for corroding our trust in God. We allow fear in a relationship that should bud with love and are robbed blind. We trust those we should doubt and doubt the only One we should absolutely trust. Rather than enter His Throne Room in reverence, we barge in; rather than offer thanksgiving, we ply complaints; rather than praise, we curse; rather than ask, we command. When all we could have done is fall at His feet in worship and let the King who knows it all, sees it all, and can do it all minister to our needs, we worry our way through and wonder why God isn’t up on His feet dancing to our demands. He’d be up and dancing if we came praising. He’d be more obliging if we left our dramas outside and approached in sincere honor for who He is.

Just like God is not the problem of this generation that turns hateful toward Him, beloved, God is not your enemy. If He is after you, it is in love, because He cares. If we would drop the commanding and demanding and quit treating Him like a dog, turn to Him as God; God of all creation, our God, our Father, He will turn toward us with so much more than we can ever imagine or ask. Don’t abuse this personal relationship. Magnify Him as God above all else and He will be God in you, God with you, and God for you.

Blessings

Glory!