God’s longing for connection

God is a God who speaks and seeks relationship. These are two elements that belong together. Already in the first chapters of the Bible, we read that God spoke to Adam and Eve. Among other things, He gave them instructions on how to interact with creation and how to subdue and manage it. This wasn’t simply a task handed down with a sense of distance it involved personal interaction between Adam, Eve, and God.

God Himself walked in the garden and visited Adam and Eve. They recognized when He came and heard His voice. In Genesis 3:8a, just after the fall, we read: “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.”

“Adam and Eve were familiar with the voice of the Lord.”

They knew it was the Lord speaking. But their response to His voice was clearly different after the fall. Genesis 3:8b says: “And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” Fear and shame had entered in, and at the sound of the Lord, they hid.

Genesis 3:9: “And the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, Where are you?” It’s unlikely that God didn’t actually know where Adam and Eve were after all, He is all-knowing. But the fall had introduced shame, and the result of that was withdrawal and hiding. The closeness with God the open and shameless relationship with Him had been disrupted. The physical act of hiding was an outward consequence of something that had happened within.

And yet… God asks a question: “Where are you?” He initiates the conversation. This shows us that God is a relational God. Asking questions and engaging in dialogue these are part of relationship, part of personal interaction.

We know that sin created separation between God and mankind. The Spirit of God no longer lived within humans. It was no longer a given that everyone could hear God’s voice. And yet, God continually reached out to us and spoke to us. In the Old Testament, we read that God gave the law and also sent prophets—people who could hear directly from Him in the here and now, and then relay His message. Today, we have the Bible: God’s words for us in this present time.

The Bible lays the most important foundation for hearing God’s voice and getting to know Him. But it doesn’t stop with the Bible alone. In 2 Corinthians 3:6 we read: “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” We absolutely need the Bible but together with the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit of God will never contradict the Word; rather, He makes it come alive understandable and personal for us.

The Bible lays the most important foundation for hearing God speak and getting to know Him.”

I’m so grateful for the love of God. His heart has always continued to reach out to us. He committed Himself to winning us back and was willing to give His own Son to do so. Through faith in Jesus, we may receive forgiveness and salvation. Sin and death no longer have the final say. But His finished work means more than simply receiving forgiveness and, one day, a place in heaven. As essential and vital as that is, it didn’t end there. After the suffering and death, after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, comes Pentecost. The promise of the Father the Holy Spirit—was pledged by Jesus to everyone who believes in Him. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us again. And that means we can once again learn to hear His voice and experience a personal relationship with Him.

Hearing His voice and living in connectedness with Him go hand in hand. Relationship and connection require communication. And the heart of God has always desired to be connected with us. We see it in creation, but also afterward. God gives Moses the command to build a tabernacle so He may dwell among the people. God desires to be close and to speak with us!

“The heart of God has always desired connection with us.”

Because of what Jesus has done, through faith in Him alone, God's Spirit now dwells in us. We ourselves have become a temple of the Holy Spirit. The Creator of heaven and earth the Almighty, the Eternal One, the Holy God longs to live in you and me: small, humble creatures. There’s no closer place to be! This reveals His great involvement, compassion, love and above all, His desire for intimacy. It’s the longing of His own heart. And now that He dwells in us and is reconnected with us, it’s once again possible to hear His voice. So let us reach out in expectation and boldness to hear His voice because He longs to speak to us and to enter into a personal relationship with us.