We had a track behind the building where I attended middle school; back then it was called Junior High school. The small town I lived in was very frugal, so the track was made entirely of cinders taken from the school’s coal-fired boiler. Trust me when I say that our small track team was far from the best, but we NEVER fell!
One day, the school’s principal called a friend and me to her in the hall. We both thought, “What did she find out!”, but no, there was a new boy in school, and she asked us if we would welcome him and help him get acclimated to our school.
Since my friend and I spent our lunchtimes walking around the track talking, we asked the new boy to join our small group. That’s how relationships are built.
In John 5:19 Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” A few chapters later, Jesus says to Philip: Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
In what may be the first rhetorical question God was ever asked, Cain inquired of God in Genesis 4:9, “…Am I my brother’s keeper?” Now, maybe, Cain didn’t understand he was asking a rhetorical question. Maybe, that was the first rhetorical question EVER asked. Maybe, Cain invented the rhetorical question! Be that as it may, for God Cain’s question had to have seemed ludicrous. Obviously, you are your brother’s keeper. He’s your brother!
Here’s my point, buried here in my ramblings: Before Creation, before any created celestial beings, before before (not a typo), God “is” and one of His eternal attributes is relationship. God is Holy, God is Just, God is Love, God is Trinity.
Being created in the image of God carries with it God’s attribute of relationship which is why solitary confinement in prison can easily drive people insane. We were never built to be an island unto ourselves.
With this understanding, we can draw at least two conclusions. First, God wants to be in relationship with you. If you want a deep relationship with God, He wants a deeper one. The second thing is this: God wants you to be in Godly relationships with others.
Therefore, if these are in God’s will then ask with confidence. You can pray these in the Name of Jesus. God will answer your prayer. Just be ready because He gives in good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing!
Great post 😁