"And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." (Galatians 4:6)

"For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother." (Matthew 12:50)

"For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called." (Isaiah 54:5)

Who is God to us? Scripture refers to Him in so many different terms: Father, Brother, Husband, Physician, Shepherd, Priest, King, Deliverer, Redeemer, Bridegroom, Guide, Master, Prophet, Savior, Comforter, Servant, Teacher, and so on.

Why didn't God just choose one of these to portray His relationship to us? I don't pretend to know God's mind, but as I look at each one of these, I realize there is no human who can be all of these things to me at once. My father is a different person than my brother, who is a different person than my doctor, pastor, teacher, etc. However, God is all of them and more. Each term only scratches the surface in describing who God is and how He relates to us.

If God is all of these things, then why do we need people? This is the dichotomy singles often struggle with in facing life without a spouse in a society where people are often isolated from each other. If He has declared Himself to be all of these things, it seems as though God should be enough. Yet we still feel an emptiness when close relationships with people are not a constant in our lives.

We feel this way because we realize that human relationships are often the way God chooses to show His love and caring for us. I know the father love of God from my own father or from fatherly people in my life. God teaches me through others who know things I do not. I experience God's comfort and love through the comfort and love that friends and family show me.

Because of this, it is important to develop relationships with godly people who can be God's love to us, as well as to relate to those people to whom God wants us to show His love.

However, this does not mean that we should look to each other for the love and caring that we need, nor feel desolate when no person is providing it for us. Even those who are married do not receive all that they need from their spouse. It is important to remember, that even though God often uses others to show us His love, it is a sin to look to someone other than God for our self worth, to feel loved and loveable, for purpose in living, and to provide for our needs.

God is our Provider, and we need to look to Him, even when His provision comes to us through human relationships. God provides the comfort, the guidance, the healing, etc. that we need, either through people or some other means, such as a quiet time with Him, a Scripture passage that stands out to us, something we hear or read somewhere, and so forth. God ministers to us through His Holy Spirit, sometimes in intangible ways we can barely describe.

When we recognize that God is our Provider for all we need, and that He has promised to be with us always, we don't need to feel desolate and alone. Sometimes people fail to obey His nudging to be His love to us, but He will find another means to provide for us. Our provision is not dependent on the obedience or disobedience of another, but rather on God Himself, who has the whole world at His disposal to provide for what we need.

If God was able to fill the vacuum of space with a universe we cannot begin to comprehend, surely He can fill the much smaller vacuums in our lives with all that we need to live purposefully and fully for Him.

"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)

© 2009 Fern Horst

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