Brown Eyed Girl, Domino, Moondance, Crazy Love, Have I Told You Lately That I Love You, In The Garden, Gloria, ‘Til We Get The Healing Done and over 550 more songs through which Van Morrison has touched millions. I have always enjoyed his music and his lyrics:
“…No guru, no method, no teacher, just you and I and nature and the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit in the garden…”
“…Till you live in the glory of the One, Till you live in the land of the sun, Till you feel like your life has just begun, Till we get the healing done, Till we get the healing done…”
He has penned some powerful heartfelt lyrics and created some incredibly heart moving music. I had always wanted to see him in concert and now here I was – 8 rows back on the floor directly in front of him.
There is something very moving about live music, but what I really enjoy is somehow, in some slight way, getting to know the artist. I particularly enjoy it when the artist interacts with the audience – they talk, they tell stories, they share a bit about themselves.
We connect somehow.
Well, the music was big and bold, the energy was electric, the solos were outstanding; he played many of his classic hits, but he never said one word to the audience. He never talked. He never connected. I never got invited into his life.
He took the stage amidst a song, sang and played for an hour and a half and left the stage amidst the final song. No “hello”. No “goodbye”. No “good to be here”. No stories.
I wanted to connect, but he didn’t. Even though the concert was great, I left feeling a little empty. We had no connection.
It made me think that this is how we sometimes feel about God and church meetings. We want to connect with God. The music can be great, the ‘performance’ fabulous, but there is no connection.
Does God actually want to connect with us? Does He want to share Himself with us? Or, is He content to simply put on a great performance and stay aloof? Is God someone who wants to stay far off and not really engage in our lives, or does He want to be intimately engaged in every part of our lives?
Does God actually want to do life with us? Or perhaps more accurately, does He want us to do life with Him? Does He want to be known by us?
I am confident that God wants to be engaged with and connected to us. He wants to be intimately engaged in our lives – He wants to connect. He was the one who initiated the relationship. You didn’t choose Him. He chose you. He came after you. He pursued you. He loved you first. None of us can come to the Father of our own accord – He draws us.
He woos us.
In fact, the whole purpose of Jesus coming to earth and dying on the cross was to create connection between man and God. Jesus made a way so that we can draw near to God and actually know Him, to be in relationship with Him, to connect with His heart and purpose for us and for others through us.
Through the redemptive work of Jesus God invites us to connect with Him. But it’s more than an invitation, it’s a longing to connect with us. He wants us to know Him and call Him Father.
In Jeremiah 29:13 and 14 (The Message) God expresses His longing for us to pursue Him:
“’When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.’ God’s Decree.”
Wow – the God of the Universe chose you so that you could be in a deep meaningful relationship with Him. Jesus made a way for us to draw near to God. Yes, He wants to connect with you.
God is serious about connecting with you. How serious are you serious about connecting with Him?
Jeremiah 3:19
“I myself said,” ‘How gladly would I treat you like sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me.”
Matthew 15:16
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”
John 6:44
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Hebrews 10:22
“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”