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THE TAKEAWAY:
The Father’s nearness is the heart of our relationship with him.
THE MESSAGE:
I’m not suggesting that you watch Scary Movie 3, but if you’re looking for the funniest 43 seconds in satire movie history, you should check out George’s “Great with Kids” scene on YouTube. In this scene, George is a young man trying to win over Cindy, a single mom with a son. After claiming that he’s great with kids, he accidentally knocks the boy out with a basketball, then knees him in the head. To make matters worse, he holds the boy too close to a ceiling fan, which sends the poor kid flying out the window and into a mud puddle. It’s a nightmare scenario that every dad fears.
The best dads in the world play with their kids (and moms as well). When a dad plays with his kids, it generally falls into three categories: Experimental Skydiving, Wrestling for the World Title, or Insane Roller Coaster. Kids will hunger and thirst to be thrown at the ceiling, driven into a couch cushion, or sped around the house at sickening speeds. While these activities might seem unhealthy, it’s the greatest joy a dad can experience with his children.
Unfortunately, God the Father cannot play those games with his kids, and I don’t think you want an omnipotent lord slamming you into any object. However, God’s nearness is the single most important part of our relationship with him. There are different kinds of nearness that God practices with his children. Crisis nearness is when God gets close to a person or a group to help them out of their situation. God, noticing Israel’s plight in Egypt, brought him near. Invitational nearness is when God promises to be relationally close to anyone who wants to spend time with him. Daniel, the prophet, prayed three times a day. Covenant closeness is when God decrees a promise that he will be close to anyone by his own generosity and will. God declares he will be a faithful husband in Hosea.
Jesus promotes all three kinds of closeness in his ministry. He healed anyone who came to him with a sickness. He promised to be food and water to the hungry and thirsty. And if anyone trusted in him, they would receive rest. Jesus models the Father’s love us and that should give us the perfect picture of the relationship we have waiting for us.
REFLECT OVER IT:
Read: John 6:35-38, Hosea 2:20-21, James 4:8, Revelations 3:20, Isaiah 41:10, Exodus 3:8, Matthew 9:36, Isaiah 62:5
- In each Bible verse, identify God’s type of closeness with his children: Covenantal, Crisis, or Invitational (or a mix of both).
- If someone argued that the God of the Old Testament was cold and distant, how would these verses prove them wrong?
- What do Jesus’ actions say about God’s eagerness to be near us?
- What kind of nearness do you need on a daily basis? How do you unlock it in your life?
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