Warning: When you and a friend chat in a restaurant, a writer might be listening. It’s not that writers are nosey. The problem is that writers of fiction must constantly come up with fresh tidbits to sprinkle into their pages. When we find ourselves in public places, our antennae are up. Interesting snippets might get jotted down for later consideration.
But have you ever noticed that most conversations are less than gripping? While writing in coffee shops, I’ve often paused to listen to chatty neighbors. People discuss their pets, their pet peeves, their jobs, Aunt Mildred’s gall bladder, their classes… Few conversations touch truly vital topics. Yet, we as human beings are social creatures. We long to share thoughts with others. Short of capital punishment, one of the worst penalties is solitary confinement—isolation from fellow humans.
No wonder we long to connect. God Himself placed that quality inside humans. The Bible tells reveals that God created humans in His own image. He used to talk with Adam and Eve in the garden. As Alex and Stephen Kendrick point out in their Defined Bible study, “All human beings from Adam and Eve onward are created to know and relate to God.”* That was our meaning for existence, to know and enjoy a relationship with God. But the first couple rebelled against God’s one taboo and became sinners. They broke that close fellowship with the Creator.
We could not restore the fellowship on our own. The barrier of sin in each life is too tall and thick for us to remove. So, God manifested Jesus Christ in the womb of a virgin, to live a sinless life and to voluntarily die, taking upon Himself the penalty for the sins of all who will accept His ultimate sacrifice. Faith in Christ provides forgiveness of sin and restoration to fellowship with Him. Accepting Christ actually transfers us into the family of God!
As the apostle Paul described it in Galatians 4:4-5, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” Wow. Adopted by GOD into His family.
What a privilege believers have, but too often take for granted—the ability to fellowship with our Creator, our Heavenly Father, in prayer. He, too, doesn’t require us to bring earth-shaking topics to the table. But He enjoys hearing from us, His children, with whatever is on our hearts.
As Jesus said, “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:5-6
Do you know God? Have you talked with Him today? If the answer to either question is No, He’d love to hear from you!
*Defined. Nashville: Lifeway Press, 2019, p. 17.