What the World Needs Now Is . . . Communication, Sweet Communication

It seems like there are significant relational deficits in our current society. Learning how to love and serve one another seems to be disappearing skills. Relationships “aren’t rocket science,” but they do require a basic level of maturity, and that means humility, respect, a servant’s heart, and a commitment to love unconditionally – qualities rarely found in our lives. But even if there is sufficient maturity to engage in a meaningful relationship, it must still be understood that the heart of any relationship is communication. Without consistent, sensitive, skillful communication, no relationship will make it very far or go very deep. And that includes relationship with God.

It’s amazing to think about how much God loves us and how committed God is to a mutual, committed love relationship with us. “Religion” is all about appeasing the gods and balancing the moral scales. The God revealed to us in Scripture is not calling us to a religious commitment but to a personal commitment of loving obedience. The extent of God’s love for us is made clear everywhere in the Bible. God redeemed Israel because of his “unfailing love,” his covenant-keeping love for them (Exodus 15:13; Deuteronomy 4:37; 7:8; Psalm 44:3). God revealed himself to his people as a God who is “abounding in love” (Exodus 34:6). God’s relationship with us is simply referred to as a “covenant of love” (Deuteronomy 7:12;2 Chronicles 6:14). The only reason we can have a relationship with God is because of his great love (Psalm 5:7). “The Lord your God loves you!” (Deuteronomy 23:5). In fact, the principle attribute of God’s character is love. “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” (1 Chronicles 16:34). “Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens” (Psalm 36:5).

On our side of the relationship, God summarizes what he is looking from us in these words: “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 10:12; see also 11:1, 13, 22). Even in the Old Testament the “Law” was summarized this way: “Carefully follow all these laws I command you today—to love the Lord your God and to walk always in obedience to him” (Deuteronomy 19:9; see also 30:16). God promised to write his law upon the hearts of his people, “so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live” (Deuteronomy 30:6). “Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). “So be very careful to love the Lord your God” (Joshua 23:11). The highest expression or praise was simply this: “He is good; his love endures forever” (2 Chronicles 5:13; 7:3, 6; 20:21). “I love you, LORD” (Psalm 18:1). “I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever” (Psalm 52:8).

When Jesus came his mission was to reveal the love of the Father to a disconnected, alienated world, to model a love relationship with the Father, and to restore a bridge back to that relationship for everyone who was willing. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son” (John 3:16). “The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them” (John 14:21). The passion and joy that motivated Jesus was his love for people and the prospect of having a real love relationship with them that would last forever. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love” (John 15:9). When Jesus restored Peter he asked a very simple question: “Do you love me?” (John 21:15-17). There’s no greater demonstration of God’s love than the cross. “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God’s love is so strong, nothing will ever be able to separate us from it. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39), because “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16).

So how important is communication to a love relationship? What if I asked you, “Have you told your wife you love her today?” and you responded, “I tried that once and it didn’t work.” What would that say about the health of your relationship? What would that say about the quality of your love? There is no real relationship without consistent, intentional, thoughtful, sensitive communication from the heart. And there is no real, growing relationship with God apart from consistent, intentional, thoughtful prayer. Every healthy marriage relationship I’ve ever come across has a consistent pattern of communication, maybe even a weekly date with the goal of communicating (including listening) from the heart. Every growing relationship with God that I’ve ever encountered has a consistent pattern of prayer – not out of a sense of duty, not to appease God, but because of a true love for God and a desire to spend time communicating with God. If your relationship with God seems to be stalled or stagnant, let me ask you this question: “How is your prayer life?”