God’s longing or yours?

Where does the longing for a touch from God originate? The featured image is the famous, “Creation of Adam” by Michelangelo. I have focused on the God half of the painting because that is where the thought of you was born.

Michelangelo depicted hands that were reaching, yet seemed they could not touch. The face of Adam,  despondent, and longing, the face of God appearing stern. Time spent looking at His face though, and the intensity of God’s gaze changed. What had appeared as anger was transformed to One with a concentration of compassion

Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear.” That chapter in Isaiah goes on in verse 16 
And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him, And His righteousness upheld Him.

If those who reach could touch. There is a story in Matthew 9 of a woman who reached with a hand of faith to touch the hem of the clothes that Jesus was wearing. She knew that she would be healed if she could just touch Him. In that day, the visitation of God was manifested or made real in the physical Presence of Jesus. He released the Holy Spirit before His ascension and He has come closer to us than He could have that woman with the issue of blood

Romans 10: 6 But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7 or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”— that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness s, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” Cross Reference: Deuteronomy 30: 11 “For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ 14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it”

Have you ever felt that you needed to ascend to heaven to get Christ down in order for your prayers to be answered? Perhaps dim the lights, put the worship music on, and be in just the right mood to” get a word”? Indeed, in charismatic circles we even talk about pulling down our destiny, or pulling down heaven through our prayers. This teaching comes from the Lords’ prayer “thy kingdom come, thy will be done as it is in heaven”.

The Isaiah 59 references told us that it is only God who can accomplish the establishment of His kingdom. The hands of the Lord are hands that are beckoning. Matthew 23:37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling”

If you think that you have to talk God into spending time with you, then you are not alone. I have been there, too. The bible tells us something different, and it must be us that have a false illusion of God. Let God be true, and every man, a liar. He is the one who reached out first.

He is the one who put the desire in your heart to have companionship with Him. He is still reaching out and is so very near. Closer even, than your next breath.