When Tony and I met, I was still living with my parents, attending university in Wichita, Kansas. He was enrolled at Kansas University in Lawrence – two hundred miles away. We ended up at the same party in Lawrence one weekend and, as sometimes happens, our “chance” meeting developed into something we both wanted to continue. When I returned home, we started writing letters to one another to stay in touch.

In today’s world of dashed off emails and pithy comments on social media posts, we seldom take the time to write a letter by hand. After all, it’s so much faster and more efficient to communicate in other ways. Why write something out in cursive when you can FaceTime or type a quick text?

But is efficiency the bottom line for all communication? Is dashing something off and moving on to our next task always the goal … the reason we get in touch?

Sometimes we aren’t looking for fast or efficient. Sometimes the reason we write is to deepen a relationship we value.

Tony’s handwritten letters to me – often embellished with drawings or colorful script, because he was an art student, after all – became a window through which I could see him in a more intimate way. He shared his heart with me in ways I doubt he would have in a phone conversation or party setting. I discovered his deepest concerns, his dreams for the future, and of course, his commitment to an ongoing relationship with me.

I still have those letters, tied together with a ribbon. They remind me of a time when our love was just awakening … when we were waiting for a time in the future when we would share our lives in a new way.

Do you see the Bible as a love letter from your future spouse? When I surrendered my life to Jesus I was so excited to learn more about Him. I wanted to discover how I could deepen our relationship, how I could please Him. I wasn’t content to settle for a connection based only on a pie-in-the-sky, bye-and-bye view of spiritual life. I wanted to enjoy my relationship with Him right now, investing in it as the most important part of my life.

When the apostle Peter wrote to 1^st century Christians about their relationship with Jesus, he said: “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9).

Peter had seen the Lord Jesus with his own eyes. These Christians had not. Yet, they both knew Him intimately. Through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, they “saw” the Lord and attached themselves to Him. Like Tony and me, they looked forward to a time when they would be with Him in a new way. “The Lord himself will come down from heaven” Paul wrote, “and we will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

Until that glorious day, we have a special gift that enables us to wait for Him with confident hope and expectant faith. We have His love letters – written by those inspired by the Spirit to help us discover more about Him. They contain His “very great and precious promises” made to all those who share a blood covenant with Him. These promises enable us to share life in the Kingdom with Him even now, as we await His return. (See 2 Peter 1:4.)

Now that Tony and I have been married for over fifty years, I seldom take out his old letters and reread them. They served a powerful purpose, but aren’t needed in the same way now. One day, when we’re with the Lord, we’ll see Him in all His glory and enter into a new phase of our relationship. But for now, as we journey in a sinful world, we desperately need the comfort and encouragement His love letters give us.

All the biblical interactions – when God deals with Adam and Eve, Abraham, Hannah, Joshua, Ezra, David, Miriam, the many Marys, Jeremiah, Moses, the apostles, Jonah, Paul, Pilate, the disciples on the way to Emmaus, Daniel, Job, and everyone else – are recorded so we can learn more about the One we have not seen but love. They show us His heart and reveal all His glorious attributes. They show us we can trust Him fully.

Paul confirmed how important God’s letters to us are in our spiritual journey. “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4)

As I read (and reread) Scripture, I can deepen our relationship even more by “writing” love letters back to Him, sharing, as Tony did with me, my deepest concerns, dreams for the future, and my commitment to our ongoing relationship. Through spending time with Him – praying, journaling, meditating, worshiping – I’m reminded of the loving and committed relationship we share. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Our future reunion with the Lord will be even sweeter if we spend our lives now seeking to please Him. “Now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming” (1 John 2:28).

In this day of quick and often mindless communication, let’s be even more intentional about investing our time in what really matters. God’s love letters, set alive by the Holy Spirit, give us the strength we need to persevere in our faith and deepen our relationship with Him.

We can count on His love. Can He count on ours?