Abba, Be Near

Guilt, obligation, selfishness, duty, fear. To be totally honest, I must mention these words when I think about my relationship with God. I have fluctuated from one motive to another during my life, but my relationship with my Heavenly Father has consistently been tainted with one of these motivators.

I desire pure love for God, the type of love I see from my three year old when I return home from a trip. Upon opening the garage door, he comes running to meet me, yelling, "Daddy!"

I desire that type of love, love that is free and uninhabited. Love free of anxiety and fear, motivate by a deep personal connection.

What stops me from having that type of love for God? Loving God is hard. Faith is arduous. My connection with God often feels like a "Long-distance" relationships, lacking both physical affection and proximity.

I don't think I'm alone in this struggle. Many "religious" people use the idea of God for their own agendas. Many have landed here by default, growing up in the church in America, accepting a theology which requires no real shift in the direction of life, while seeing God as a way to escape eternal punishment and ease their conscience.

So we play the religious game, even talking a good religious talk, but rarely talking to God! Few of us are honest enough to admit that God feels just beyond our reach so we are content with pseudo spirituality that lacks authentic love encounters with God.

15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children...26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. Romans 8

Your fullness is mine
Revelation divine
But oh to taste,
to know much more than a page
To feel your embrace...

Be near oh God Be near oh God of us
You're nearness is to us our good.