As I grieve over family and friends who have not yet found a nourishing relationship with the Almighty, I am comforted by this love story:  In an unlikely but wonderful way, the Creator of the Universe courts us.  Unbelievably, He pursues us in creative ways.  He longs to date us!  He is eager for us to respond to Him.  Through the prophet Hosea, the Almighty God likens himself to a kindly, forgiving husband, “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness, and speak kindly to her. . . And she will sing there as in the days of her youth. . . And I will betroth you to Me forever;  yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, and I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness.  Then you will know the Lord.”       Hosea 2:14, 15, 19, 20

Can you hear Him crying out to you, beckoning for you to come to Him?  “Ho!  Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat.  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.   Isaiah 55:1

One way He woos us to Himself is through the overwhelming beauty and complexity of Creation.  “The heavens are telling of the glory of God;  and the firmament is declaring the work of His hands.  Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.”   Psalm 19:1-2

“And the heavens will praise Thy wonders, O Lord; Thy faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.  For who in the skies is comparable to the Lord?”   Psalm 89:5-6
A second way God extends His heart to us is in His word.  “How sweet are Thy words to my taste!  Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! . . . Thy for is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path. . . The unfolding of Thy words gives light;  it gives understanding to the simple.  I opened my mouth wide and panted, for I longed for Thy commandments.”     Psalm 119:103, 105, 130-131    (See also Jeremiah 15:16.)

A third way God calls us to Himself is showing us Himself in Christian character.  “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”  Matthew 5:16

“Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, ads they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”     1 Peter 2:12

“The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.”   Acts 4:13

As I pray for my friends who have not yet formed a friendship with God, these are three windows I pray will open for them, that they might see their Heavenly Lover and invite Him in.