Closer To God This Christmas By Trevor Hudson Örnek

God’s Longings When we genuinely long for God, we also begin to long for what God wants. When we read the Bible, we catch a glimpse of these divine longings. God longs for the healing of our communities, our relationships and our lives. However, He will not bring this about without us. From Scripture we see that God longs to form a community of people through whom He can bring about the healing of the whole universe. This is the divine intention that God has for our world. One of my favorite authors puts it like this: “The kingdom of God is creation healed.” The big question always facing us is this: As we walk with God, how do we make His longing for a healed world more visible where we are? There are many things, both big and small, that we can do in this season of giving. We can reach out in friendship to a stranger, come alongside someone who is grieving, listen to a person who has been rejected or seek to bring reconciliation where there is painful conflict and division. All these actions—and there are many others—make real the longings of God for a restored world, whether we speak about God or not. Our lives become visible signs of God’s longing for the healing of our whole universe. Daily practice : Ask the Lord to bring to your mind a person or situation that needs healing. Once you are clear about this, ask Him to help you think creatively about how you can be a visible sign of God’s healing love in the next 24 hours. Commit your thoughts to the Lord and ask for His help and guidance in carrying out this intention.