God and Us

      In one of his chapters in the classic book, “The Pursuit of God,” A.W. Tozer makes strong contrasts between the doctrine of God’s divine universal presence and pantheism, between God’s presence and the manifestation of his presence, and between the nearness of place and the nearness of relationship. Tozer also discusses the idea that people respond to God’s call on their lives in different ways and varying degrees of receptivity to God’s will.

      We agree that God is everywhere. There is no place that God can not be, and since God is not bound by the laws of physics; time, space, distance, speed, and matter do not apply to God. God is universally everywhere at the same time, never leaving or arriving. This is not pantheism. Pantheism says that God is the sum of all created things. Some of God is in a rock, some of God is in a tree, etc. Therefore, when all these things are put together, that sum becomes God. This thinking degrades the divinity of God and denies that he is an uncreated Other.

      We can be surrounded by God’s presence and not know it. The example Tozer gives makes this clear. In Genesis 28 we have the story of Jacob’s dream of the ladder that stretched from heaven down to earth. This was God’s way of manifesting, or revealing himself, to Jacob. God’s presence had always been with Jacob, but until he recognized and became receptive to God’s revealed presence, he did not know it.

      Relationship is so important in a physical, human sense, and in a spiritual understanding. We can be near a person, or a place, and not be connected or involved. Just as Jacob was near the altar of worship, yet had no relationship with God, we too can be guilty of being “near” without relationship. God is looking for a personal relationship with each of us.

      Then, there are the questions that are raised about a Christian’s receptivity to God’s will and his/her willingness to grow and mature in the faith journey. Why do some people develop a distinctively deeper and closer relationship with God than others? Why do some remain “nominal” Christians while other blossom into “on fire” disciples?

      It’s not what God does or doesn’t do, because God extends the same invitation to full salvation and the gift of grace to grow as a Christian to all believers. According to Tozer, the difference between a “nominal” Christian and one who is constantly growing is a spiritual awareness to know God more fully, the desire to be receptive to God’s will, and the willingness to do something about it.

      So, we form our own questions for self examination. Even though we know that God’s presence surrounds and goes with us, have we developed a relationship with him? Are we “nominal” in the sense that we are at the same place in our faith journey as a year ago? How receptive are we to the call of Jesus to respond to the call for holy living and service to others?

      For all of history, God has pursued us, looked for us, and desired to be with us.

He wants a loving relationship with us. He offers his presence, and he waits.

Rev Tim McConnell Long’s Chapel UMC July 15, 2012