When you think of God do you feel that He is a deity far away from you, or is He a personal God who is close? Some hold the view that God created the world and everything in it and then sent the world spinning and now steps back and is just observing his creation. However, that is not how God has described himself to us through His word to us.

Consider the word of God that came to Israel through the prophet Isaiah: "O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries. Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left” (Isaiah 30:19-21).

God is highly personal, caring for you, and involved in your life. Notice these personal characteristics: he will be with you, you will see him, you will hear him. As a Father, I can’t imagine how my children would feel if they never saw me or if they never heard me! Would they really believe that I love them and that I desire to give them the best? But I am personal to them. We play games together, we sit together, they see me and hear my words. In much the same way, God the Father adopts us to be a part of His family (Ephesians 1:5), not as a distant ruler but as a personal Father who is with us, who we see, and can hear.

How can you grow to recognize God as personal in your life? Where can you see him at work? How is he speaking to you through the Bible, and through community of others? How is he guiding you in your life?

If you’re ever looking for a church in Boston, we’d love to have you visit!