Dwelling with God

(Based on a talk given at a gathering of Pioneer Girls and their dads.)

Everywhere you go these days, you see people talking into cell phones: at school, at work, on vacation, even at church. People young and old want to connect, to build relationships in our hectic and hurried society. How else can you explain the popularity of websites such as MySpace.com—where we can reach across the void and tell complete strangers intimate details about ourselves—and television shows such as Cheers and Friends?

One of the things that made Seinfeld so intriguing to viewers a few years ago was the utter freedom the characters had to just burst in on each others’ lives, completely unannounced. They may not have had much of significance to talk about, but George, Elaine, Kramer, and Jerry had access.

But despite all this emphasis in the media on building relationships, most of us struggle to connect with others—it’s America’s rugged individualism run amok. According to a study in the American Sociological Review published earlier this year, the average American now has just two close friends, compared with three in 1985. Those reporting no confidants at all jumped from 10 percent in 1985 to 25 percent—one in four people who are basically isolated. Two decades ago, the share of those who reported having four or five close friends was 33 percent—or one in three. Now it’s only about one in six.

This desire for relationships, though hard to satisfy, is perfectly natural and good. God created us not to be isolated individuals but to have significant relationships with others. God wants us to have good friends. The Bible tells us that the one God himself exists in a relationship of Persons we call the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When God placed the man in the Garden of Eden, he gave Adam a helper, because “it is not good for the man to be alone.”

But God himself dwelled with Adam and Eve in an intimate and joyful relationship, a relationship that was ruptured only by their sin. Genesis 3:8-9 says, “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’”

Down through the centuries God still asks us, “Where are you?” He wants to restore the relationship people had with him and with each other. In the time of Moses, God told the Israelites to build a tabernacle, a place to worship him. As Exodus 25:8 says, “Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.”

Later, God allowed the temple to be destroyed because of the unfaithfulness of his people. But he never stopped seeking to restore our broken relationship with him. He came to earth as a man, Jesus Christ, so our relationship could be restored. As John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt [literally, “pitched his tent”] among us.”

He came to live the perfect life we had failed to live and to voluntarily die on the cross in our place–in short, to pay for our sins–including the bitterness, the self-centeredness, and all the rest. Then he rose from the dead, guaranteeing our relationship with him.

While we have not seen Jesus face to face as his disciples did, we have God’s promise in the Bible, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” God promises to always be with us. It’s a relationship we can count on. Yes, sometimes it’s hard to relate to God when we can’t see him, smell him, hear him, or touch him. But we can work on that relationship in many ways:

· By praying to him and listening for his voice,
· By reading his Word and obeying what we read,
· By loving and serving our neighbor,
· By spending time with people who also are related to God through faith in Christ.

The Bible calls this last one fellowship, and it’s not restricted to a couple of hours at church every Sunday. We can experience fellowship at home with our families, too. Dads, daughters, moms, sons, and grandparents should help one another grow in their love for Jesus and for each other.

Dads, we all know that building a loving relationship with our daughters is critical in so many ways. Yes, God is gracious and works even when we make mistakes. But we only get one crack at this. Let’s make it count.

Remember, one day, the Bible assures us, we will meet the God of Relationships face to face. Let’s do all we can to bring our daughters with us.

Revelation 21:3-4 says, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’”