Restoring Our Union with God

Mar 2

“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (Ephesians 1:4-5).

“They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8).

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19)

“’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’” (Matthew 22:37).

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Union is a place. It is where three become one. Just like I am three persons, always together and always in honor of the other, you must be calibrated. Your body, mind, and spirit must be in sync.

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Right there, from that moment in the first chapters of Genesis, when Adam and Eve, in the Garden, chose wisdom and self over God, we struggle to trust–and pursue–our initial union with God. With the compromise of sin, we feel displaced, our inner beings enduring an internal wrestling match. While Jesus comes and brings complete restoration of our union with God, it is human to struggle to stay connected to Jesus–to the union we initially rejected. We don’t trust ourselves–and we ask Jesus, “Lord, restore our union. When I run away, and when I hide, make me whole again. Jesus, restore my union with the Father. Bring me back to You”.

Today, in this next hour, let’s move toward our rightful place with the One who created us for union with Him, the One who loves us most.

So, first, get settled. Get comfortable. Find a place where you can be in the quiet and undisturbed for a while. Try to silence the technology around you. Maybe place soft instrumental music–or put in earbuds–to help you engage with the deeper place in your heart where you might more easily hear Holy Spirit speak.

When you are settled, with your hands empty, take some slow, deep breaths. Invite your body, the temple of the Holy Spirit, to relax. Close your eyes. As you inhale, dedicate this hour to Jesus, allowing your mind and imagination to rest,

Inhale: Jesus.
Exhale: I love You.
Inhale: Jesus
Exhale: I give you my heart.
Inhale: Jesus
Exhale: You draw me deeper.
Inhale: Jesus.
Exhale: Restore our union.

Next, spend some time with the following verses, allowing Holy Spirit to speak to your heart. What is He showing you? What questions are these verses prompting within you? What are you noticing and wondering? What are you curious about? What are you picturing as the words–which are more than words–speak to the deepest place in you?

Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).
“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest’” (Mark 6:31).
“Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand’” (Matthew 12:25).

Allow yourself time to linger over these verses. Read them each a few times. What do you hear Holy Spirit speaking to you? What is resonating? Get out your journal and talk to Jesus about the one that you feel He is drawing you toward most.

After you have spent a good ten minutes or more in conversation about at least one of the verses, consider writing–or drawing–to describe the current, distinct cries of (1) your body, (2) your heart (spirit), and (3) your mind. Listen carefully, with the ears of your heart guiding you to hear Holy Spirit leading you. Below are some questions to help guide you:

(1) How is your body feeling? Settled? Anxious? Comfortable? Disturbed?

(2) How is your heart feeling now? With what emotions and desires is it consumed?

(3) What is your mind wondering about? How has it been inspired or preoccupied lately?

Don’t rush this; don’t worry about getting to any “right” or “wrong” answers. These questions/prompts are simply invitations to consider the different and unique ways we think, feel, and move with God right now.

As you consider the questions above, think about these ideas: Are you more apt to listen to your body, heart, or mind? What takes precedence? What do you trust more? What do you pay attention to most as you go about your days?

Trust Holy Spirit’s guidance as you explore these questions. He does not lead you astray.

As you go deeper in conversation now, ask Holy Spirit to help you better understand what He means by “union”. Below is what I heard when I asked Holy Spirit about it, in prayer:

Union is a place. It is where three become one. Just like I am three persons, always together and always in honor of the other, you must be calibrated. Your body, mind, and spirit must be in sync.

What is good is good. Your mind gets it backward when it tries to control and take the reins. But it is not qualified to work alone. Alone, it cannot be trusted. It must be in sync with the body and the spirit. And all three must be in union with me.

I have you. I have created you. Do not wrestle against yourself: that is not good. If you want to wrestle against anything, wrestle me. I am always up for it.

A house divided against itself will fall. [Matthew 12:25] Do not be divided in body, mind, and spirit. Be one. Let go. Let me show you how your internal wrestling is not only unproductive but harmful.

“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand” (Matthew 12:25).

[Harmful? How?]

Internal wrestling distracts you from me. Can you surrender–and see me–when you are at war with yourself? Let yourself be loved. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.

You are not too much. And you are not not enough. How perfect is the weight of your hand in mine.

What is your take on what it means to be in union with God? How might Jesus be inviting you to be in sync–body, mind, spirit–with Him?

Finally, stay here with Jesus, letting your body, mind, and spirit experience His presence now. What is He showing you? How is He helping you know more of experiencing complete union with Him and knowing His love? Write down your conversation with your journal.

Amen.