Does God Really Want to Meet with Me? - The Crosswalk Devotional - October 26

Does God Really Want to Meet with Me?
By Megan Evans

"How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
I long, yes, I faint with longing
to enter the courts of the Lord.
With my whole being, body and soul,
I will shout joyfully to the living God." - Psalm 84:1-2 (NLT)

Messy moments and seasons of life when we have strayed can leave us wondering if God even wants to be around us anymore. Perhaps your heart has asked the question, “does God really want to talk to someone like me right now?” Though the shame of our sin may tell us no, God’s faithful love screams a victorious yes! So then, what does a Holy God do with sinful people like you and me? Thankfully, as He has always done, our Heavenly Father calls us to His side. What a tender welcome into His unfailing love! Like the generations who came before us, He scoops us up, washes us clean, and teaches us how to live under His refuge and blessing.

God went to great lengths to prepare His people to be able to meet with Him. All throughout the Bible we see a Holy God pursuing unholy hearts in need of saving. Even when God’s people wandered and strayed, He never stopped loving them and still seeks our hearts to this day. God wants to spend time with us and promises forgiveness and redeeming love when we come to Him. This relationship is the only way our hearts can ever be truly satisfied. The presence of the Lord is indeed a lovely dwelling place and our spirit yearns for it because His presence is where God created us to live out our days.

One such account of God’s extensive preparation to dwell and meet with His people regularly can be found in the Old Testament book of Numbers. This certainly isn’t the most action packed book of the Bible, but nestled amidst the bookkeeping and records are tender moments between God and man.

If anyone could have pushed the limits of the Father’s love it would have been the Israelites, yet the Bible chronicles His unfailing love and desire for relationship with man. God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, gave them law and instruction, and prepared to dwell in their midst by way of the Tabernacle. When it came time to dedicate the altar to God, each tribe committed to serve the Lord by presenting their offering. This demonstrated not only obedience, but hearts that were finally ready for relationship.

God spoke to Moses there at the tabernacle, or Tent of Meeting as it is also called. Scripture tells us, “Whenever Moses went into the Tabernacle to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—that rests on the Ark of the Covenant. The Lord spoke to him from there” (Numbers 7:89 NLT).

We were made for so much more than just the ordinary sin of this broken world. We were meant to enjoy God’s perfect love, joy, hope, and peace and to dwell in His extraordinary presence. The Lord pursued and redeemed this ragtag group of Israelites and He wants to spend time with us too. Yes, God really wants to meet with you and me regardless of where our hearts have wandered, so it’s time to come back home. Like Jesus tells of the prodigal son who returned home to his welcoming father, “…He was lost, but now he is found” (Luke 15:32).

If your heart is longing for God’s tender presence then meet with Him right now. Spend time with God in prayer and rest there lingering in His love and forgiveness. If you’ve surrendered the throne of your life to Jesus Christ, then His dwelling place is no further than your heart. You are welcome in His courts today, so enter with praise shouting joyfully to the living God.

He is ready to meet with us anyplace, anytime, anywhere. So don’t wait! Talk to God in prayer and listen to His Living Word through the pages of your Bible. Jesus is the answer to anything our body and mind are longing for today. Our spirit is yearning for time with God, and we can rest assured we are welcome in His lovely dwelling place.

Intersecting Faith and Life:
What has been keeping you from meeting with God lately? Consider today any unconfessed sin, past hurt, laziness, busyness, distraction, or earthly idols that may have your worship and attention instead. Meet with God in prayer today and enjoy the restoration of His forgiveness and the sweetness of fellowship in His presence.

Further Reading:
Read a few more verses about God’s desire to meet with us:

Megan Evans is a military wife, and a mother to three wonderful teenagers. She and her family live in Tennessee where she serves as the women’s ministry director at her church. An author and blogger with a heart for discipleship; she writes, speaks, and teaches women about enjoying God in each busy day. Check out her new book, “Permission to Walk: A 40-Day Journey to Unhurried Peace” and learn the daily pace of life that Jesus taught as we daily navigate this distracted and fast-paced world. You can connect with Megan at www.unhurrymyheart.com, www.instagram.com/megan.m_evans , and www.facebook.com/unhurrymyheart.