A child gains peace by being connected to its parents, and if they are good, loving parents, great peace is gained because of that connection—knowing that their parents will be there for them. If they get sick, they will lovingly care for them. If they get hurt, the parent will bind up the wound and give them a loving kiss. Great peace and security come from this relationship.
What we are connected to can bring great peace or great turmoil. Our connection to God can bring great peace to us. Jesus said, “My peace I give to you.” That peace is produced because of a loving connection to our Father in heaven, who cares so deeply for us. God is so much greater than even a loving parent. Parents can die and leave us. God’s love for us has no end because He is eternal. Jesus said, “I will NEVER leave you or forsake you.” Our connection with God is permanent—forever. This is the relationship our soul needs, the one relationship we can’t live without.
One of the great challenges in life is separating what is lasting—separating the worthless from what has lasting worth. This is the ultimate decision we must make. Will the goals we have set for ourselves matter 10,000 years from now? So often, the things we view as so important have no lasting value. Our souls are seeking lasting value. The universe is VERY old, and at best, we live 90 or 100 years. Our lives on earth are not even a millisecond when compared to the age of things, yet we put so much effort into temporal things. The book of Ecclesiastes starts out by saying, “Worthlessness, worthlessness, all is worthlessness.” As we progress through life, we need to ask for wisdom to separate the worthless from what has eternal worth and make what has eternal worth our life goal.
Without God, the human soul becomes lost in a sea of billions of years and billions of galaxies. Nothing has any lasting meaning. We are just grass that grows up and quickly withers away. Nothing is permanent. Lost in a sea of meaninglessness. Dust in the wind. A relationship with the Eternal One grafts us into the eternal world, separating us from the temporal world of meaninglessness. We are no longer lost but found by the Eternal Creator, adopted into His family, given His eternal spirit. In this relationship, our soul can find rest, significance, safety, love, and belonging. We become one with the Eternal One.
The Pursuit of God
God is a God of love, and because of that, He loves for us to desire Him. God can be found when we pursue Him. He loves it when He is our number one pursuit. The Bible says that we will find Him when we search for Him with all our hearts. There is a place in life where all other goals become secondary to the pursuit of God—a place where we see everything else as worthless compared to knowing God, where eternal life eclipses the temporal world. When we find ourselves in that position, we will find Him with open arms, embracing us, enfolding us in His presence.
As we study science and the universe, the world around us is so intricate, so amazingly designed, that it is obvious there is a Creator—layers upon layers of intricate design. Our souls are designed to want to know that Creator. That Creator is our true parent. The wonderful thing is that we can know our Creator. God has revealed Himself to us. God came to earth in Jesus to reveal Himself to us, and the Spirit of God confirmed that to our soul. We can know our Creator and know Him well. He said that He loves us and wants to have the closest relationship with us possible. He wants to live inside us.
This is the most wonderful news—that we can know the God of creation. We are no longer orphans but children of God. One of the most amazing things about the Christian life is that we can actually hear God speak to us. Jesus called us His sheep, and He said, “My sheep hear my voice.” This is amazingly wonderful—that God is speaking to us and we have the ability to hear His voice, to hear what He wants to communicate to us personally. God is a God who loves to communicate. He has a lot to say, so let’s position ourselves so we can hear His marvelous voice.
There is a cry in the human soul for God—for the living God—like a child crying for its mother or father. This is a continual cry, for we were made for God. Sometimes the cry is dim; sometimes it is loud, but it is always there. We try to fill our lives with things that drown out that cry because it demands our attention, and it can demand changes in our lives. Responding to this cry is why we were created, and this is the most important need within us. We will be very restless until we satisfy this longing for God in our soul.
The Secret Place is a term used to describe the intimate relationship that we can have with God. It is a place of refuge, peace, safety, and rest. It is a place where we can commune with God, hear His voice, and be refreshed and recharged.
Christ in Us
There is something so huge, so amazing, so wonderful about the Christian life, and that is that Christ lives on the inside of me. The God of the universe, the one who made billions of galaxies, billions and billions of molecules, billions of this and that—that God, the God of ultimate power and might, lives on the inside of little me. This fact makes everything pale. There is nothing greater than this. This needs to be our focus. This needs to grab our attention. We need to live from our true center—Christ in me. He is my true center; all else is temporal.
God, thank You for loving me so much that You wanted to live and dwell in the center of my being so that we can have the deepest fellowship possible—an amazing oneness.
The soul of man is an amazing place. It is our mind, will, and emotions. It’s the part of us that is really us, separate from our body or spirit. It is different than any animal on the planet. It can know that life is short and that we will die. It’s the special part of us that can comprehend God and eternity. The one thing that is unique about the soul is that it longs for a deep relationship with God. Without God, the soul feels empty. In Psalms, David many times says, “My soul cries for You, O God. Like a deer pants for the water brook, so my soul longs for You.” We were made for God, and until we find Him, there will be a deep emptiness.
O God, help us get still enough to feel this cry of our soul.
God is a God of location. He can come to a certain place at a certain time. He likes to come to certain places and show up. His favorite place to show up is in the hearts of those who want Him, desire Him, and love Him. Just like us, He shows up where He is wanted. In the book of Revelation, Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him, and we will have deep fellowship together.” Jesus was outside, wanting to change His location. He wanted to come inside and have deep fellowship. God wants to come inside us and have deep fellowship. He wants to be located deep in our hearts. This is His passion.
Lord, we want this to be our passion also. We need Your help.
The central theme of Christianity is the presence of God. In the Old Testament, God’s presence came to dwell with His people in a place called the Holy of Holies. His presence was in a tent, and whenever they went, His presence went with them. God wanted to be present with His people. In the New Testament, that presence came in Jesus. He was God with us, and He wanted to dwell in our presence.
The purpose of human existence is to know God. This is why we were created. There is no other purpose. O child of God, rise up, wake up to your destiny and your high calling.