Can you imagine? God wants to spend time with us. More than any friend you will ever know, any family you delight in…God wants to spend time with you. He gave the people Festivals to delight in with Him in Leviticus 23. Days of rest and assembly where hard work could be stopped so they could come together and share in God’s love for them and their love for Him and for each other. That’s how God is. Loving generously, providing faithfully, present.

This morning in our Friday morning prayer meeting with spiritual family we experienced a taste of that love that God has for all of us. He speaks to us individually. We share. We did a practice called Visio Divina where we looked at a photo of beautiful steep, soaring rugged cliffs with colorful stratified layers of rock above and a canyon below and all of it sweeping toward the beautiful light-filled distance. Each experience of that photo was personal and in sharing with one another, we experienced a richer understanding of God.

In prayer this morning following our group meeting and my own Bible study, He reminded me of His great love and delight in being with me. Can you imagine? Do we underestimate God’s love for us?

He gave the people festivals so they could be with Him, undistracted. His festivals with them reminded them of His provision in everything. One day a week for rest and spiritual connection; commemoration of His Presence leading them out of slavery; thankfulness for first harvests of food He provides for with seeds, rain and sunshine; for new grain and reaping for all so none would be hungry; for trumpet blasts of great rejoicing; for forgiveness and oneness with God who loves us; for reminders we are all of us sojourners on this beautiful planet we call home as we wait for our permanent home with Him.

Glad tidings of great joy fill hearts turned to Me. There is joy in my love for you! Rejoice!

As we take His hand and walk with Him we begin a journey of understanding ourselves and our great need for Him. Do you understand your inner self? Can you imagine how much He loves you?

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment – to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. Ephesians 1:1-10.

Can you imagine that kind of love? How can we not rejoice? He does! Take God out of whatever box you have put Him in and let God be fully God in your life. His love cannot be restrained by us. Rejoice with Him…rejoice! That is where you find strength and peace lovingly waiting just for you.