Hope-Filled Christian
Hope-Filled Christian
Exploring the Depth of Our Relationship with God: A Spiritual Journey into Permanence and Presence
Do you truly comprehend the depth of your relationship with God? Is it as tangible and dynamic as the friendship you share with a close confidante, or does it crumble to mere rituals and routines? Today's episode is a contemplative exploration into the essence of our connection with the divine. With personal tales peppered across the roadmap of our conversation, we seek to grasp the profound significance of God's omnipresence versus his manifest presence and how our perception of these concepts shapes our faith.
Taking inspiration from Isaiah, chapter 30, verse 21, we delve into the idea of the 'object permanence' of our faith, much like how children understand the permanence of objects beyond their immediate sight or touch. We argue that our relationship with God should echo this understanding of permanence. Just as we are aware of the existence of our loved ones even when not in direct contact with them, we must acknowledge God’s presence in our lives, even when not immediately evident. We also discuss how we can fortify our relationship with God, making it as stable, real, and consistent as any other significant relationship in our lives. So, brace yourselves for an intimate spiritual journey as we ponder the true beauty of a relationship with God.
Let me start off by saying this one is probably going to be short. I had a kind of a teacher parent meeting night and I like didn't get home very long ago. I am tired. But I also have a verse that I kind of I'm a bit habit of saying, kind of I really need to get out of it A verse that I like. That verse is Isaiah, chapter 30, verse 21.
Speaker 1:The verse says whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying this is the way I love this verse, because it kind of gives us something to aspire to. It gives us an idea of what we should be looking for in our walk with God. It gives us this idea of we shouldn't be looking for a relationship where we have to be doing a certain thing or a certain I don't know. Like I've kind of talked about it the past couple weeks and we're not looking for a routine. We're looking for a genuine relationship where, if I truly and honestly know someone, I should be able to be like hey, you know what, like I know so and so would love this. Like I'm thinking about them even when I'm not actively with them, or thinking about them, even when I can't actively feel them with me, which brings me to this point that someone shared, not like personally, but in a video I are not a video book that I read. It was talking about the kinds of presence that God has. There's his omnipresence and then there's his manifest presence, and I feel like sometimes the only times that we have, or that we feel that we have, clarity is whenever we feel the manifest presence of God, not realizing that when we truly know God, when we truly have a relationship with him, we should have that voice speaking to us, because we should know and kind of be thinking about him as if we're in a genuine relationship.
Speaker 1:For example, like if I knew someone for multiple years. In the back of my mind I'm like, oh you know what, haha, that person would think that was funny or such and such. Like I would know them well enough to know what they would like and dislike. I would know them well enough to know what they would say in certain situations. I would know them well enough to know how they would advise me.
Speaker 1:Or sometimes I'm doing something and I would like, oh you know what, so and so would love that, and in the same kind of manner when we truly have a relationship with God. We would know what he likes and dislike. We would know, oh, you know what God would love it if I not got him like a smoothie. But God would love it if I, you know, shared the word with that person. Or God would love it if I shared or had gave grace or mercy to that person, because he has given mercy to me, he has shown me love, and so, again, just, I feel like it's compounding on the fact that we need to have a genuine relationship, not something where it's like ritual or a religion, or we're showing up to church and we're, you know, giving it at church, and then we're just not doing anything the rest of the week.
Speaker 1:Like, how kind of confusing would that be if you were in a relationship or you went on a date and like, oh, you're seeing them and they're treating you amazing and they're doing awesome, and then, like, they don't talk to you at all the rest of the week. Or if they're like, hi, hope you had a good day and that's it. Like, I get it, we get busy. Sometimes we don't have as much time for relationships. We like sometimes we have things going on and in the same way, that kind of happens when we're, you know, in a relationship with God. But when you have a better relationship, those kinds of things are like expected, but it's a little bit different because God is always available, whereas in a relationship they're not always going to be available because, you know, they have their own schedules going and conflicting schedules can make it difficult to talk to one another. When God is omnipresent and he is available all the time, we don't necessarily have that excuse. When there's a moment or a moment to breathe, they're just even just saying in the name of Jesus, I do this and just asking for his grace and his mercy and his wisdom to cover over you and in so doing, or bleeding the blood of Jesus over something, it just it gives once again a better picture of the kind of relationship or what we should be looking for when we say that we want to get close to God.
Speaker 1:Not a situation ship, but a relationship where we're, you know, aware, where we have that voice in the back of our head, no matter whether we turn our head left or we turn our head right, no matter whether we're at school, at work, at, you know, in the car or by ourselves, whether we're with family or alone, whether with the pastor sitting right by us or whether we have, you know, nobody's sitting right by us, whether we're surrounded by a community or we're surrounded and feel isolated that we should have the same voice in our head because we have that close-over relationship with God, and I think that's beautiful. I think that just goes again, like I said, back to the idea that we should be having a relationship, something deeper than a Like. I only understand God, I only know what he's saying because he's right here, he's connected and I'm literally touching him right now. But the moment he disappears we forget who God is. And, honestly saying, that reminds me of how children go through object permanence and then their kind of mirrored relationship that we're supposed to have with God, that we're coming to Him as children and stuff, and the whole idea of like walking, and then we're standing and we're running in God and we're like doing marathons in God because we have had built up that stamina. But I'm reminded of when children are first born. They have no idea of object permanence. The moment that something is gone, they think it's just, they forget it exists, and sometimes I feel like we ourselves grow into that habit.
Speaker 1:The moment that God's not actively manifested in our present or in our lives, we're like, oh God, who, who's that? I'm sorry, but the reality of it is that so many of us that are listening to this message and so many of us that are in church are beyond that point that we're aware that things exist even when we can't see them. And yet the same doesn't apply when we're talking about God. Like I know that I have a car, whether or not I see the car, because I know that I purchased a car. Now, if I know if I have a car because someone could have stolen it or something, but that doesn't again apply because nobody can steal God from away from you, nobody can destroy God, like they might destroy a car or slash a tire of the car or anything like that.
Speaker 1:Weird analogy, I know, but my thing is, if I know that my car exists, even when I'm at work, and I cannot see it and there's walls separating me, then why doesn't the same apply when we are mature enough to understand the idea of object permanence, that things tend to exist, that things do exist unless something is, you know, acted upon it? In this case, nothing's going to act upon God. So with reasoning we can understand that if God existed then and if he revealed Himself to us, object permanence argues that he's still there, even though we can't physically see Him. Like the moment a Pallali pop goes behind my head, I know the Pallali pop still exists the moment that I turn around. I know that in my room there's still a door behind me or there's still a dresser, or that my bed, you know, even if I'm not looking at it, it's still existing there, that it's still permanent. And yet my question is where is that when we start to talk about God?
Speaker 1:Anyway, like I said, I just think it's a really beautiful idea, this idea of having a relationship close to God, and I feel like one of the things that we think about when we think about careers and when we think about, like, setting goals, is you can't work towards something when you don't know what you want, and I think it's important to realize what we want or what we should want, and in this case, it's having a relationship with God that is permanent and is stable. Even when we cannot see Him, even when we turn our head left, when we turn our head to the left, that God is still there. When we turn our head to the right, that God is still there. When we walk away from the place that we had that manifest presence, that God is still there. When we, you know, time goes on and we're no longer in the same time as when we have that manifest presence, that God is still there. And I feel like in this revelation of this first, it gives us something to ask for, that God. I want this kind of relationship where I'm reminded that you're still there, even if I can't necessarily see you. And I feel like we've said that before, but I don't know. It's just so much more powerful when we can speak out a verse and I can say God.
Speaker 1:I want the kind of relationship that is mentioned in Isaiah, chapter 30, verse 21, where it says, whether I turn my head to the right or the left, that my ears will still hear a voice behind me saying this is the way walking it, lord. I want that kind of relationship where you reveal things to me, even though I may not feel your manifest presence, that I know you close enough that your voice speaks to me, even when you're not manifested there. Anyway, as always, let's go ahead and in prayer, and I'm sorry if this one was quick. I liked it, I didn't want to like cut it short and I feel like I covered everything. It just creates a picture. It's again speaking on what kind of relationship we would seek with God and it helps us because now that we know what kind of relationship we should want, we're capable of praying for that kind of relationship, and sometimes I feel like we get a little confused of what does God want from me? This is what God wants from us to have a relationship where we're certain of what he wants, even when we can't feel him. Anyway, as always, prayer, dear God. Thank you, as you continuously reveal more and more about yourself, our identity, what kind of relationship we should have with you. Thank you for revealing this message, even though it feels kind of like I got this in a rush and it feels like it's been on my mind for so long. I've constantly asked this and I feel that whoever's listening to this has also asked. Like you know, we've always heard that kind of set out God should be there, no matter whether or not you feel him, but it's never been said in a verse and I feel that now that I have your verse. What I know from your Bible that your word never changes that by having this word it gives me something more solid to stand on than the hearsay of other people, not to say that they were right, but that now that I have a verse, I can stand on it, I can pray on it, I can meditate on it, and I know that meditating on your word is so important, lord. So I pray that you help both myself and the listener, lord, to meditate on this word and to discover and kind of compare this to our lives. And if this isn't the kind of relationship that we have, lord, help us to seek it out, to pray for it. A relationship where, no matter what we see or don't see, that we understand that you are there, we not just pray for it like we've always prayed for it, but praying on the word, praying on your living, breathing word, planting that seed in our hearts and our minds that we want a relationship like Isaiah, chapter 30, verse 21. But if you forgive us of our sins, lead us not into temptation. In the name of Jesus, amen.
Speaker 1:Hi, thanks for listening to this week's episode of HFC. I really hope you enjoyed it. I honestly I feel like God's had me on a journey of and not even intentionally, because some of these I'm just like running into and it's a journey of what kind of relationship we should be seeking with God and it's not something I'm doing actively. So I'm assuming and believing that it's not just for me, that it's someone, it's for someone else who's listening. It's kind of unsure where they should go in their relationship with God next. I hope you enjoyed. Have a great week. Thank you for listening. Bye.