Zephaniah 3:17 English Standard Version (ESV) The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Yesterday I wrote that God meets us here where we are because He is Omni-present. Today my bible app presented me with this verse of the day. Would it have been better fitted for yesterday? Not from the point of view taken, simplicity for children.

God was in our midst when He revealed Himself mightily in my life. I didn’t know that much about God and what His intentions were towards me. I was too wrapped up in myself. I only saw how things affected me at the time. I was naïve to say the least.

It takes a little more maturity to understand the concept of the God of the universe, the creator of all things, having any moment of joy over us. It isn’t logical from our point of view. It takes a little more maturity to see things from God’s point of view. We have to know Him better to be able to see things His way.

The comment about accepting as a child is one in trusting that the one teaching them is honest and teaching them the truth. Parents should have that trust. Parents should introduce the children to the Lord in the most simple and earnest way. They know their own children and should know how best to approach the subject of God’s love.

Not all parents are capable of doing that because they do not know God themselves. My parents did not speak of God in any loving way. There was no example set before me by the ones I trusted the most.

That didn’t stop God from making Himself known to me. I just didn’t know it was God at that moment.

God took care of that too. God is faithful even when man is not.

Genesis 3:8-9 English Standard Version

⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool^[a] of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

We have heard this story so many times and yet there is always something to learn about God that is so simple we often overlook it. While pondering the issues of how to tell children about God it became clear that man’s vision of God is one of a God in heaven on the throne. So often we look to passages about climbing a holy hill to find God that we forget God is Omni-present.

God is present everywhere all the time.

In the most simple terms God comes to us right here, where we are and calls out to us. We do not see that if we are looking for Him to be some ethereal being so distant to us that it is nearly impossible to find Him.

I would begin explaining to children about God by saying, “If you like someone, don’t you want to be with them?” The concept of so great a love as God is can be confusing. Put things in perspective of that which a child can understand. God comes to us where we are in our own understanding. He wants to be accepted and to do so makes it possible for us to come to know Him in our ability.

Why make things impossible to understand? Why not keep it simple? Rather than searching for God in a realm we cannot understand, look for Him right here, where we live. The simplest of prayer might sound childlike, but Jesus said we must come to God as little children, so keep it simple.

“God I want to get to know you.”