You Are Wanted: An Invitation from God

Chances are good that you are sitting in some kind of chair right now. ( I hope you are, and I hope you have a great cup of coffee nearby. ) If you are sitting down, chances are also good that you did not do a thorough inspection of your chair before you sat in it.  You just sat down. Maybe even plopped. I guess there are some paranoid people in this world who are afraid of a possible chair collapse, but I'm thinking that's not you.  My point? Most of us easily put our faith in chairs.My sweet hubs recently hung a porch swing up for our family to enjoy. It is an older swing, a little rust on a few links of the chain, so we were both a little tentative as we lowered ourselves down onto the wooden slats suspended over our porch.  First I sat. Then he joined me, as we held our breath. We waited, exhaling slowly. It held! We began to swing and celebrate our new spot on the porch to snuggle together and enjoy the spring weather.There was reason to test out the old swing from a garage sale, but I don't normally question the safety of chairs. We all sit down, trusting chairs each day and until now, you had not given it a second thought.  I had this funny thought today that God is more trustworthy than my chairs in my house. Would you agree? I know, strange thought. God and chairs. Trust.I spoke recently about the unbelievable truth that God wants us.  Like really wants us. He does not want us because of what we can do for him, for our impressive skill set, or our platform. He just wants us.This is not God tolerating you or saying, "okay, I guess you'll do."  This is not God letting you near him because he feels sorry for you. No, girl! This is God pursuing you with his love, inviting you into closeness with him.I remember the feeling I had after getting engaged.  I walked with my head a little higher, a smile a mile wide because I was wanted. I had been pursued and invited. I was claimed.  Taken.  Being wanted gave me a huge sense of confidence.  The ring on my finger was proof of the invitation, the wanting.  I flashed that little diamond in every direction. Shamelessly. As the sun sparkled off its brilliance, I thought, "I'm wanted."No one had to convince me of my man's goodness.  There was no need for him to prove to me that I could trust him. He was my love, my prince who had scaled the castle walls to rescue me from my tower of singleness. I would have walked on fire for him if he had asked me. It took me a while to figure out that he was not perfect and was,  in fact, capable of hurting me and  hurting my trust in him.  He could say the same of me. Our desire for one another is not perfect.Yet, there is one who wants me who is 100% trustworthy, who loves perfectly.  He wants me even in the morning with my big, ugly bed head and stinky breath. He loves me  if my house is dirty and my heart no better.Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8He's saying, come find out how much I love you. Give me a chance to love you the way you need. I want to love you. I want you!Still talking about chairs; if you have never watched The Voice, you need to stop immediately and watch a "blind audition" clip. When a singer auditions, the judges have their backs turned, so they only hear the contestant's voice. If a judge wants the singer on his team, he  turns his chair around, and on the front of the chair are these words in lights, "I Want You."  Friend, God turned his chair around for you before you even sang one note. He chose you knowing your song wouldn't be perfectly on key. Knowing you would stumble over lyrics. He created you and your song. He wants you, bad notes and all.But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.  Romans 5:8His Word is full of invitations to you. He uses words like, "come" and "follow". He invites us to "draw near" to him, to "abide" in him. He offers to be our strong tower, our refuge, our shield. He calls us his beloved, his bride, his friends, his heirs.If you have been given an invitation, then you are wanted. Your name is written on the palms of his hands.Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Let the truth of God's desire for you be a safety net for you to rest in today. He's got you. He wants you. Right where you are, even if it's a big mess.You are wanted. That's who you are.