God Is PERSONAL

When you close your eyes and imagine what God is like, I wonder what you see.

Do you see someone who is loving and kind? Punitive and harsh? Ambivalent and uninterested? How do you imagine God?

What I know to be true is that God is for YOU. Yes, you. He seeks to know you in an intimate, individual, and immersive way. God is personal.

He Knows Your Name.

But now, this is what the Lord says—

    he who created you, Jacob,

    he who formed you, Israel:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

Isaiah 43:1

Calling you by name speaks to how personally you are known by our big and mighty God. It should produce great comfort to know that the God of the universe wants to have a personal relationship with you. That is the story we see unfolding from Genesis 1:1 all the way to the final verse in Revelation 22:2; a story of how our big God has pursued each person and continues to do so to this day.

He Knows the Details of Who You Are.

Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Luke 12:7

God knows your name and also knows the little details that make up who you are. He knows your quirks, shortcomings, great qualities, and strengths — after all He made you. When you start to feel bad about your weaknesses, remember that they are known by God and are an opportunity for you to lean into His strength. When you start to feel pride about your strengths, pause in humility to remember how those strengths are evidence of blessings and abilities given to you by the Lord.

He Walks with You as Each Day Unfolds.

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Deuteronomy 31:18

It is amazing that God wants a daily relationship with each of us! Think about how humanity began. In the garden of Eden, God literally walked with Adam and Eve in relationship and connection. Even though that intimate relationship was dashed to pieces as the original sin entered our world, His desire for a daily and intimate relationship with humanity has not changed. God continued to pursue humanity and maintained His promise to never leave us or forsake us. Take comfort in the reality that God promises to be with you, always.

Jesus: Our Path to a Personal Relationship

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Romans 5:8

God made a way for us to enter into a personal relationship with Himself through Jesus. While we were all still sinners, separated from God, He sent His son to die in our place and destroy the otherwise insurmountable obstacle of sin. He could have written off humanity for the broken mess that we are. Instead, He chose to make a way for us to return to Him and restore our relationship.

Jesus died so that we could live. It is incredible, miraculous, beautiful, and awe-inspiring. I hope that when you doubt how God feels about you, you remember what took place on the cross and realize He did it for YOU. Because of Jesus, we are able to have a personal relationship with God.

God Is for You

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 31:6

There is no doubt that life is full of ups and downs, challenges and victories, gains and losses. Regardless of whether your days are full of sunshine or torrential rain, I urge you to remember the truth found within the pages of the Bible — God is for you. He is an incredibly personal God that promises to be with us always. Reflecting on that character of the Lord should produce comfort, awe, and praise from each of us!

Think about it: you are personally known and personally loved by the creator of the Universe — our almighty God.