Growing up I saw God as distant. I always believed there was a God but didn’t believe He spoke to us or was active in our lives. Prior to coming on the race, I read countless blogs where people called God ‘Daddy’ or ‘Papa’. To be honest, I found it a little weird.
I’ve had a relationship with God since freshman year of college but I knew Him as my Lord and Father. However, I wanted to experience the more intimate relationship of God as my Daddy. So at the beginning of my race, I started calling Him Daddy and Papa in my journal. Before I knew it, God started drawing me closer and showing me that He is my Daddy. He started speaking to me in crazy ways.
One way that God showed me He is my Daddy was through a vision during a night of worship. I was standing during worship with my arms raised and surrendering to Him. As I stood there with my arms in the air, I had a vision of God reaching down and picking me up like a little girl. He placed me in his lap. When I opened my eyes, I realized my arms looked like a little child reaching up for their Daddy to pick them up.
God reminded me that He wants to have an intimate relationship with me. He wants to hold me like a child and wipe away the tears or celebrate the good times. He wants to keep me close.
As I’ve grown to understand God as my Daddy, I am hearing more and more that God is my husband. God has so many different facets to his character. He is Daddy, Friend, Lord, Husband, etc. Husband is the characteristic I’ve struggled seeing.
This past month I’ve been craving so much more intimate time with God and His word. He began romancing me through his word and sunsets. He would draw me away from the chaos to sit and be still with him.
This week, we spent some time in worship. My teammate Anna felt like God was telling her to tell me that He is going to romance me during this season. She felt God directing her to Isaiah 54: 4,5, and 10.
It reads:
"Fear not you will no longer live in shame. Don't be afraid; there is no more disgrace for you…for your Creator is your Husband; the Lord of Heaven's Armies is His name! He is your redeemer, the Holy one of Israel, the God of all the earth…'For the mountains may move and the hills disappear but even then my faithful love for you will remain, my convenant of blessing will never be broken.' says the Lord who has mercy on you."
God is so good. He wants us to know Him closely and to know all sides of Him.
God is my Daddy and my Husband. Is that weird?
