“Ever since the days of Adam, man has been hiding from God saying, ‘God is hard to find.’”

Well. If that doesn’t strike you with a little righteous conviction, I don’t know what will.

We are a generation that is often saddened by the silence of God and our inability to find Him in our circumstances. But have we ever stopped to think that maybe we have such trouble finding Him because we seek Him in places contrary to His character?

As far back as the Garden, God has been consistent in His refusal of only one thing: forcing Himself upon us.

We lament the absence of God in places He was never meant to dwell. If you cannot find evidence of Christ’s presence in your relationships, perhaps it is because those relationships are not fit for His habitation. God lives in hearts and in situations that honor Him and that invite His presence, so instead of expecting God to enter into places where our actions make it clear that He is not welcome – why don’t we make those places fit for His presence?

Why don’t we invite Him into all the places where we complain that He is not: into failing relationships, into stagnant jobs, into hopeless situations? We can do that by turning the focus of all those empty places back to Christ. We can do that by honoring Him in the most difficult situations, which might seem senseless to others. These are the people and places that desperately need the entry of God, but I cannot say enough that God will never come where it has been made clear to Him that He is not welcome.

As far back as the Garden, God has been consistent in His refusal of only one thing: forcing Himself upon us. Communion with the Creator of our hearts and the Restorer of the same is a choice, and we must choose it – moreover, we must fight for it -- in the places where it isn’t.

In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. - Psalm 22:4

Psalm 22:4 says that God inhabits the praise of His people, so why don’t we take seriously the words that many of us United Methodists sing every Sunday – “Praise God from Whom all blessings flow” – and begin to praise Him with not only our lips but also our lives? Each part of our lives must recognize him as it's All in All before He will come to dwell.

Discussion Questions: What are some places in your life where you have made God unwelcome? How can you seek greater communion with Him in those places?