God is not a military man with a koboko (whip) in hand waiting to wipe us at any little error. He is actually understanding. One of the reasons why Jesus came to earth was to experience the things we experience as we experience them. As much as He was God, He was man;100% God, 100% man.  It was not enough for Him to understand our feelings from a distance, He actually wanted to come down and experience these things for Himself, so He did. By this, He relates better with our fears, mistakes, worries, and anxiousness (Heb 4:15 CEV; Heb 2:5-18 NIV). So when we call the Holy Spirit the Great Comforter, it is not just a title He assumed just because He can. But a true description of who He is, because He is that Person who can comfort anyone and everyone since He resonates with their feelings. 

He has taken the time to understand us. Whenever the Christmas lights are lit and the merry-making begins, we talk about the sacrifice of God by sending His Son to die for us. This is great but we must also remember that He also expressed His love in His quest to understand us. This proves that God is indeed looking for a relationship with us. Not the type of relationship between a servant and a master (even though we are still servants, as He is our Master) but one between A Father and His children. Parents that have the best relationship with their children are usually parents that have taken time to understand each of their children. The understanding closes whatever gap may exist between that parent and the child. 

This is simply the heart of God for us. He desires a Father-son/daughter relationship with us and more especially, He desires that this relationship be eternal. He desires that all men be drawn to Him (1 Tim. 2:4). That is the essence of Jesus coming down to earth, to reconcile us to God eternally. God is building a family, of which Jesus Christ is the firstborn. Even if we realize that God understands our pains and struggles, all of that is pointless when we refuse to accept His help, when we refuse to be a part of His family (Gal. 3:26). One thing we received as a result of Jesus’ sacrifice was the right to become sons and daughters –through the Holy Spirit (1 John 3:1; John 1:12). God wanted this from the very start, that relationship. And it was through the sacrifice of Jesus that this was made possible. He understood that nothing we could do could ever earn us this status, so He did it Himself. 

David is arguably one of the closest companions God had. His relationship with God when he was on earth, was unmatched. This is not only because David chased after God. It takes two to tango. A relationship always has two sides to it. We see in the book of Psalms, how David dedicated a whole chapter to speaking on how God understands him (Psalm 139). As I said earlier, God is not a tough master ready to deal with us at any slight mistake. He actually cares for us. He takes His time to understand us so that He can have a meaningful relationship with us. 

Whatever scary picture has been painted in your mind concerning God, delete it. He is a loving Father who cares for us, so much that He sent His Son to die for us, that we may be reconciled to Him forever (John 3:16; 2 Cor. 5:18). He understands every one of our mistakes and shortcomings and He helps us through them. 

God desires something much more from us. It is the enemy’s agenda to distance us from God by making Him seem unreachable. But our bible tells us that He is very much reachable. In fact, He desires to be so close to us that He literally lives inside of us, through the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 1:14; Col. 1:27; Eph. 2:22). These are the not-so-little things God does to draw us to Himself. 

Think about the God who loves you so much that He took the time to understand you, get closer to you, and still keeps chasing after you. So many scriptures reveal to us how God chases after us (Zeph. 3:17; John 3:16; 1 Pet. 2:9; Eph. 2:10). Yes, He loves us that much and is only waiting for us to respond to His love with faith in Him and dedication. As you make merry this Christmas season, remember that this was God taking a step to get closer to you and you should also take that step to get closer to Him –by studying His word, praying more, and fellowshipping with Him more. 

Prayer: May you receive all the empowerment you need to build that relationship with God in Jesus’ name.