Sometimes we can forget that God has feelings too. We are made in His image. We have emotions because He first had them. He can feel joy and gratitude, sadness and anger, pain and remorse. He is the Author of humor. He is the original Artist. He loves music and beauty. He is orderly and methodical. He is a Being, just as we are.
His emotions are not fickle, and He is not easily angered as we can be, but He still feels.
He loves each of us equally. There is nothing that we can do to make God love us less or more. But our actions and attitudes can bring Him pleasure or disappointment.
He is not indifferent to us. The response of our lives affects Him.
I love my children. I love them when they are good. I love them when they are naughty. I discipline them because I love them. When my children choose to be grateful, kind, and thoughtful to me and to others (and especially to each other!), it brings my heart joy. When my children choose to be selfish and stubborn and defiant, it brings my heart pain. It does not change my love for them, and I don’t always respond perfectly to their fallenness, but my heart is always tender to them.
So it is with God. He is not some distant mystic in the sky. The radical revelation that Jesus brought to His followers is that God is actually our Father. He’s always wanted to be. Always wanted to have that type of intimate relationship with us. This was fairly mind-blowing to the Jews in Jesus’ day.
We all make many mistakes as we try to walk with God, but God brings it back to the heart time and time again. Do we trust Him? Is there faith? Are we leaning on self or others to help us, or are we relying on Him?
Here’s what God was saying directly to His people in Hosea 14:8:
“O Ephraim! Stay away from idols! I am living and strong! I look after you and care for you!”
That verse hit my heart. Can’t we hear the cry of God in that scripture? O _________(insert your name)! Stay away from relying on other things (money, spouse, family, self, work, savings, government)! I AM LIVING AND STRONG! I look after you and care for you!
As I read it, I had to put my Bible down and ask the Lord to forgive me for looking to other things for provision.
It can be so subtle, can’t it? The temptation to rely on self to make enough money or ensure our kids turn out properly. To get stressed out if it seems we can’t pay the bills or make relationships work. But God is saying (pleading actually!) Oh, child! I AM LIVING AND STRONG!
He is living, and He is watching us. He cares for us. He wants to be invited in. He has ideas on how to solve our problems. He can drop them into our minds. He has wisdom for relationship troubles. He can also change your circumstances in a moment! Hosea 12:6 says, “Always be expecting much from him, your God.”
“Unless the Lord builds a house, the builders’ work is useless. Unless the Lord protects a city, military does no good. It is senseless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, fearing you will starve to death; for God wants his loved ones to get their proper rest.” -Psalm 127:5
God does not command us to not worry because He is tyrant and likes to give a lot of rules. He tells us not to worry because He’s saying, “Child, I got this. Let it go!”
Yes, we work hard. Yes, we make every effort. But in the end, it has to be His doing. All of our effort is meant to flow out of a place of REST in Him. Chasing after idols to help us is deeply offensive to God’s Father heart.
He gives the wisdom to make money (Deuteronomy 8:18). He shows us how to do right by those we love (1 Thessalonians 3:12). He teaches us the way we should go (Isaiah 48:17).
I would feel sad if my children thought that they needed to do everything themselves because I didn’t care enough to help them. I encourage them to do what they can, but there is so much they just simply are incapable of doing because they are so little.
At the same time, I would feel slightly amused if my children thought that they were more competent at accomplishing all the grown up tasks than me. (It might be entertaining to let them try- but it would also probably be disastrous!) How much more can the Creator of the UNIVERSE help us with the little tasks that we have in front of us today. Our concerns are not big in light of a HUGE God, and yet He treats our concerns with care because He knows that we care about them.
Let’s allow Him to be Father. Let’s remember that He’s God. He can create what is out of nothing. He can change us. He can change our circumstances. He is saddened when we don’t think He would care enough to be involved. And He is tender with us when we think we need to accomplish what only He can.
Get your free copy of my book 7 Biblical Ways to Hear God’s Voice.
Join me on Pinterest for more resources to grow in your walk with God.
