“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let Me” (Luke 13: 34).

If you’ve ever wondered what your heavenly Father is like, then all you have to do is look at the heart and ministry of Jesus. One day, Jesus said to Phillip and the other disciples, “If you have seen me, then you have seen the Father.” So, why does it seem to man as though God is a million miles away from them? The fact of the matter is that He is as close our next breath or our next heartbeat. He is the Giver and Sustainer of all life. Why then do unbelievers and often even God’s own people feel so disconnected from their Creator? We can find the answer to this question in the writings of Paul.

“With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against Him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity” (Ephesians 4:17-19).

The rejection of God’s Word by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden separated the heart of man from the light of God as well as the life of God. The Bible reveals to us in 1 Samuel 16 that God doesn’t see as man sees, because He looks upon the heart. This tells us that, God, the Creator of man and the Father of Christians doesn’t communicate with us through our minds, but He communicates to our hearts. Once we became separated from God’s Word through rebellion, the human heart became darkened (No faith). As a result of walking in spiritual darkness, we began to walk according to the fallen or carnal (temporal) mind. When a person or a people chooses to walk in spiritual darkness, they become controlled by their thoughts, desires, and feelings. Faith isn’t an option, because it involves the heart; we must trust in the Lord and not in self.

Beware of the poison of a hardened heart as a Christian. It can cause you to reject the only lifeline that connects you back to a real relationship with the Father. Remember, I am addressing the reason why many believers feel like God is nowhere to be found even though they have faith in Christ.

When Jesus came to God’s chosen people as their Messiah, the heart of the Jews was hardened to the truth that Jesus spoke, and they rejected their Savior. In the same manner, a Christian can allow a hardened heart to prevent him from knowing the heart of the Father. You may be thinking, “How can I be a Christian and still not know the Father?” Look at the story of Philip in John 14: 9. The disciples and Philip had walked with Jesus. (We too have walked in faith with Jesus.) They had heard His powerful messages and witnessed the miracles that Jesus did. Yet, they didn’t believe in their hearts that He and the Father were One. This is revealed to us in this account in John. The hearts of the disciples were still hardened to the truth that Jesus was the Son of God and that the Father was with Him, even though no man could do what Jesus did apart from God. Now think back at the times that Jesus rebuked the disciples over their lack of faith. In essence, they doubted the true identity of Jesus as the Son of God even though they walked with Him.

So what is the answer to the dilemma of Christians not knowing the Father or their feeling like He is far removed from their hearts? Jesus told them in John 14 that they would do the works that He did and even greater works. He went on to tell them that, if they loved Him, they needed to keep His commandments. This kept them in the faith as disciples until they received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was the disciples and our witness that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. It is through the Holy Spirit and being led by Him that we become and remain the children of God. So when the Jews rejected Jesus’ truth, because they rejected Jesus, they couldn’t see the heart of the Father. They wouldn’t open their hearts to their salvation; therefore, they ultimately rejected their only Messiah. As a result, they have suffered great destruction and heartache. As Christians, we must continually guard our hearts so that we don’t become hardened against the keeping of God’s Word. If our hearts are made pliable through our obedience, then we will come to know the Father as our heavenly Father as well. We must walk by faith until our hearts become softened through the keeping of God’s Word and then we will begin to gain understanding.

The Holy Spirit gave the disciples understanding about the relationship between Jesus and the Father. As we continue in the truth, the Holy Spirit will give us understanding concerning our Father and we will no longer feel disconnected. We will become one with Him. Wow, isn’t God good? Take that to heart!  —submitted by Asa Dockery, US