“The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you.” Deuteronomy 33:27a
A special joy of mine is cuddling my dog Star. She’s a crossbreed between a poodle and a Shih Tzu; a tiny lively thing, pretty much a foot long with beautiful white hair and a charmingly high pitched bark. On the floor, she resembles a white mop– a living, breathing, white, cute mop.
Star
In one of our cuddles, I thought of how much she looked like a wee, little lamb. Star was so meek in my arms, tenderly curled up and being her wide-eyed, sweet self. She wasn’t struggling as I lay all my delight on her. She was resting; enjoying my presence, and I hers.
This makes me think of how much delight God must have when we bask in His presence. It also makes me think of how much delight we ought to have in Him! Do we enjoy moments of simply being with God? Do we long for Him? Do we stop to pray and seek Him? Jesus must be the most important Person in our lives! Can we say like the Psalmist did in Psalm 63:1-5:
“O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.”
It is very important that we hunger for God and for the things of God. We cannot be satisfied with knowing God superficially or of going to church once a week due to mere routine. When I ask people if they know God, I usually follow up my question with another one: “Do you know God well—like how you know your mother or brother or sister?”
God can be known in an intimate, personal manner. James 4:8b says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…” It is a promise of wanting relationship; of strengthening relationship. He longs to unveil the secrets of His heart to us (Psalm 25:14). He wants to talk to us. And He wants us to talk to Him—even if it means reasoning with Him (Isaiah 1:18).
With this invitation open to us, let us take it, embrace it, and allow ourselves to know the God who loves us deeply. We can rest in Him, knowing that we have a God who loves us very much.
Janina Marie Rivera is the Editor-in-Chief of One Voice Magazine, a teacher of world literature, and a student of the Bible. She enjoys reflecting on life’s curve balls and plateaus. She resides in the Philippines, the country known for people who smile a lot.
