“God doesn’t want compliance; he wants connection.”

A thought by John Ortberg from his book, I'd Like You More If You Were More Like Me: Getting Real about Getting Close (Kindle Location 161). Tyndale Momentum. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Maybe you think the opposite is true. And for many other relationships, you think that is also true.  

John says, “Not long after God decided it was ‘not good for the man to be alone,’ we find him walking in the Garden searching for Adam and Eve. They were his creation; he enjoyed their company, and he wanted to spend time with them. But they were hiding. Finally, he calls out, ‘Where are you?’ (Gen. 3: 8-9)

“Unfortunately, the serpent had convinced Eve to eat from the tree of life, and she had cut Adam in on some of the fruit. Now their relationship with God had changed — the bonds of intimacy were broken. For the first time, they realized they were naked, and they were embarrassed and ashamed. For the first time, they feared being seen and known by God. So they hid.”

John then said, “Now, here’s the interesting part: God allows them to hide — because intimacy can’t be coerced. God doesn’t want compliance; he wants connection. Intimacy respects distance but isn’t content with it. Like God in the Garden, intimacy calls out, ‘Where are you?’ And God, in his desire for intimacy with us, has been asking that same question ever since.”

Later John says, “It’s a mystery, no question about it, that we’re invited into an intimate relationship with God. But how does that happen? Is it possible that God has been speaking to us all along, and we’ve been hearing without realizing that the whisper comes from him? Is it possible for us to draw closer to God without realizing that it’s happening? I think it is. In fact, I believe God uses our relationships with other people to teach us how to love him. The more we pursue intimacy in our other relationships, the more we see and understand God’s incredible, audacious love for us.”

He really does want to connect with us intimately. He really does. And it is all because of his “incredible, audacious love for us.”

So, have you experienced, personally God’s love?