Honouring an Invitation

In the cool evening breeze, God would take a stroll in the garden of Eden to spend time with Adam and Eve. Even though the fall happened, He still longs to be with us. That’s why, throughout the Scriptures, He invites us to Himself. He has always longed to be closer to us, even if it meant the death of His only begotten Son.

 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters” (Isaiah 55:1).

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37).

‘I love those who love me, and those who seek me early shall find me’ (Proverbs 8:17).

‘My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “LORD, I am coming”’ (Psalm 27:8).

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

‘Draw near to God and He will draw near to you’ (James 4:8).

There is a lot of verses that say, “Come”, in the Scriptures. He is always beckoning us to come to Him. This shows how much God longs to spend time with us. All of us want to spend time with those we truly love. Could it be that I’m loved so much by the maker of heaven and earth, the God who knows everything about me (Psalm139), that He longs for my company?

He’s longing for us, but are we longing for Him? ‘As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God’ (Psalms 42:1).

Have we chosen the best portion like Mary (Luke 10:42)? Honouring His invitation is more than being physically present. It’s to be present wholeheartedly, with a willing mind. There are a lot of distractions which can easily separate us from God. Even though we are there physically, we may not be present in our thoughts, and our heart and soul.

Couples know only too well when a spouse is preoccupied. They are present in body but absent in their thoughts and their emotions. They are just nodding, but not really engaging in the conversation.

The way I chat with someone who is engaging with me is different to the way I’ll chat with someone who’s not really interested in what I’m talking about. The level of sharing and connecting is different. God want us to connect with Him, to engage with Him. That’s why He is bringing us to Himself.

He set the children of Israel free from their captivity so that they could go and be with Him.  But although they were with God, not everyone connected with Him. They were too preoccupied with their own agendas. But Joshua engaged. He connected with God, and he was always there with Moses. He was intentional. He never wanted to miss out, and he certainly didn’t.