Are You There God?

I was just thinking about how prayer can seem like such a strange thing. I remember that Judy Blume wrote a book called "Are you there God? It's me, Margaret." I think I must have read it (I was quite a big Judy Blume fan back in the day), but all that I can remember of it now is the title.

"Are you there God?" How can you speak to someone whom you can't see?

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. - 2 Corinthians 4:18

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. - Hebrews 11:1

How do you know he hears you? Does he even know who you are?
"It's me, Margaret," you say.

O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

...Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast. - Psalm 139:1-10


It's immensely comforting to know that God is always with us, but at the same time, it seems almost frightening to think that anyone could know you so well. I often think that if anyone knew half the thoughts that ran through my mind, they really woudn't want to know me anymore.

This is how we are broken. And this is how we are lost.

We hide from ourselves, we hide from each other and most of all, we hide from God.

After Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, disobeying God and thinking that they knew best what was right and what was wrong, they found themselves ashamed of their nakedness and ashamed of themselves.

When they heard the Lord approaching in the garden, they hid among the trees. Without getting into a big fat theological debate about the book of Genesis, the essence of the fall of man is this - that we chose to disobey God, and take it upon ourselves to decide right and wrong.

This very rebellion against God is the essence of sin - all the other awful stuff we do to ourselves and to each other, that is the consequence of our first rebellion. So we choose to live our lives our way, exalting ourselves above all others, without enough regard for others and without any regard for God.

How then, can we, in our brokenness approach the almighty God? How can we possibly know the creator of all things, the author of the universe and the maker of our souls? He who hung the stars in the heavens, who breathed the clouds into the sky and touched each blade of grass with green. He who is perfect and gave us every good thing. He whose heart we broke the day we chose to turn away.

The most amazing thing about it all, is that God did not give up on us. He did not stay far away, setting the earth into motion and then leaving it alone. Banishing Adam and Eve from his garden and leaving them in the wilderness. He himself came to earth, entered time and space, became one of us, to speak to us in a language that we could understand.

Jesus came to earth, to die the death that we should have died for our rejection of God, so that we might live.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6

Jesus reconciled us to God by sacrificing himself, in our place, on the cross. And because Jesus is God, his death has infinite worth - reconciling all of fallen humanity to our Father in heaven.

Because of Jesus, we no longer have to hide from God, afraid of the one who sees into all the hearts of men. Because of Jesus, we know that if we confess our sin, apologising for our rebellion, we know that we will be forgiven.

And this is why we can pray. This is why we can approach God freely and with confidence, in spite of our brokenness.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
- Philippians 4:4-7




Find me here
And speak to me
I want to feel you
I need to hear you
You are the light
That's leading me
To the place
Where I find peace
Again

You are the strength
That keeps me walking
You are the hope
That keeps me trusting
You are the light
To my soul
You are my purpose
You're everything

And how can I stand here with you
and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me
how could it be any better than this?

You calm the storms
And you give me rest
You hold me in your hands
You won't let me fall
You still my heart
And you take my breath away
Would you take me in
Take me deeper now

And how can I stand here with you
and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me
how could it be any better than this?

'Cause you're all I want
You're all I need
You're everything
Everything

You're all I want
You're all I need
You're everything
Everything

And how can I stand here with you
and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me
how could it be any better than this?

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