The Lord is very real. And He likes to be treated like He’s real.

My daddy taught me from a young age that I can talk to the Lord like I talk to a friend. In  the sermons I listen to and the verses I read, the theme that keeps resonating in my heart is “relationship.” The Lord wants a relationship with us. He’s always calling us to Himself. He wants our time. I heard a pastor say that love is spelled T-I-M-E. The Lord wants us to make time for Him. He wants us to get away from the hustle and bustle. Get away from the pull of the world. Get away from our phones, social media, the TV. Get away, yes, sometimes, even from people. Get away and get alone with Him. 

When my granddad got older, my dad would pick him up and drive him around town. They would run errands together. He said he loved to drive down the road and spend time talking to his dad. He’d get his advice. They’d laugh together. Talk about the good old days. Dad would run scenarios by him and tell him about his day. Dad said he would lean over and pat his daddy on the leg in the passenger seat and say, “I love you, Dad!”

Years later, after my granddad passed away, Dad was out running errands again. This time he was riding around with the Lord. As he drove down the road, he prayed. He asked for the Lord’s advice. He laughed about old times. He ran scenarios by Him and told the Lord about his day. Then he leaned over and patted the passenger seat as if patting the Lord on the leg and said, “I love You, Lord.”

The Lord is so real.

But do we treat Him like He’s real? When’s the last time you got away and got alone and spent quality time with God?

Something I’ve learned–time with God doesn’t just magically happen. We have to intentionally MAKE time for HIm. We have to pencil Him into our schedules.

Here’s a thought–Maybe God doesn’t seem real to us because we don’t treat Him like He’s real. 

The Song of Solomon is a book in the Bible about two lovers who are passionately in love. It paints a beautiful picture of marriage. But I believe it also points us to Christ. He wants to be our passion and obsession above all else in this life.

“All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him. I will get up now and go about the city, through its streets and squares; I will search for the one my heart loves. So I looked for him but did not find him. The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. ‘Have you seen the one my heart loves?’ Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my heart loves. I held him and would not let him go…” Song of Solomon 3:1-4

Do we long for the Lord like that? Is He the One our hearts love above all else? Do we seek Him by spending time with Him in prayer and eagerly devouring the truth in His Word? When we find Him, do we hold Him tight and refuse to let go?

So what are you waiting for? Make time and get away with Him today. There’s nothing more important on your to-do list than Him. Pull out a chair for Him at the kitchen table this morning and invite Him to have coffee with you. Invite Him on a walk or take Him out on a date. You could even ask Him to run errands with you. Ask Him for advice. Tell Him about your day. Sing to Him. Laugh with Him. Then lean over to the passenger seat pat Him on the leg and tell Him you love Him.

Treat Him like He’s real.

Cause He is real.

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,” 1 Peter 1:8

The other night I was putting my 5-year-old daughter to bed. It was time to say bedtime prayers. We held hands, bowed our heads, and closed our eyes. When I finished praying, I opened my eyes and saw her little hand stretched out across the bed toward the wall. I was curious. “Bug, what are you doing?” She said, “I was holding hands with Jesus.” Then she looked up at me and asked,”Mom, do you think Jesus was holding my hand too?”

“Absolutely, Bug. Absolutely!”