I Think God is a Hugger

The cherry trees were beautiful. The monuments were too, but to this mother's heart, the most beautiful sight I saw on my first night in Washington was my daughter.

All grown up and knee-deep in her first full-time job, she now lives three states away. I hadn't seen her since New Years day and couldn't wait for my birthday weekend so I could visit.

The first thing I did was hug her tightly, trying in vain to express all the happiness that was bubbling out of me. Although we talk often by phone, electronic communication just doesn't compare to sharing a great big bear hug every now and then. It was an exuberant, unrestrained expression of love.

While I've never read a Bible verse about whether God is a hugger, I strongly suspect he is. Many times during periods of sorrow and joy I have experienced the indescribable feeling of God wrapping his big strong arms around me in a tender embrace. Others have shared this same experience.

Listen to one young lady's description of the night she came to faith in Christ:

"As we were praying, an indescribable feeling flooded the room. I will never forget that feeling or that moment of Him being right there next to me, wrapping me up so tenderly in His arms. It felt like the first hug I had ever known."

This young lady became a Christian at a summer camp. As she began to experience the joy of her salvation, she wrote this:

"The rest of the session I was so eager and ready to learn, and so desperately afraid to return home and lose God and all these people who knew Him and hugged like Him."

People who "knew Him and hugged like Him."

This phrase challenges and convicts me. I ask myself, in the busyness of my life, how often do I stop and hug people like he does? It's easy to hug people I love, like my sweet daughter, but I have a harder time hugging the unlovely. 

But these are the very people who need a hug from God, through me, most of all.

 Lord, help me hug like you hug. 

"We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).

How about you? Have you ever been hugged by God? Tell us about it in the comment box below. I'd love to hear your story. And if you're reading by email, click here to leave a comment.

"We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). 

 

You want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.

You need a resource that answers the questions you’re afraid to ask out loud. Questions like:

• Is my situation hopeless?
• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray? 
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me? 
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit? 

Each devotion begins with a Facetime question and ends with a biblical answer wrapped in a modern day parable. Like a spiritual power bar, Hungry for God … Starving for Time is packed with enough scriptural nutrition to get you through the day. Wherever you are—in break rooms, carpool lines, or wherever you can snatch five minutes of quiet reflection—Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women is for you.

If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe? I'll send you twice-weekly 5-minute devotions to help nourish your soul. 
Because women need to connect with God in the craziness of life. 

Enter your email address and VALIDATE the Feedburner email sent to your inbox.



Delivered by FeedBurner

Hungry for God is on Facebook! Will you take a moment and LIKE my page? CLICK HERE to help HFG share 5-minute devotions.