We don't worship Santa Clause

I am currently reading a book by Philip Yancey called Disappointment With God.  I have consciously had to hold myself back from wanting to copy and paste the entire book into my blog.  If I could send everyone a copy I would.  It has been that valuable and healing to me, and I am only half way through.  It speaks to the heart of anyone who has ever wondered where God is, why hasn't he answered my prayers, is he unfair?  If you have ever experienced disappointment this is the book for you!
I have had major heart change with each chapter. One of the most important lessons for me has been that God's quick answers to prayer and obvious presence don't lead the people that experience them to loving God more.  It has been revolutionary to me that God desires me to love him above all else.  He desires my love and affection.  That short sentence may not impact you the way it has shattered me, but if you sit and think on it I hope that it will.
In the Old testament God showed himself very obviously in countless stories.  He also gave lavishly in countless stories, and in countless stories people still turned away.  The Israelites had God living among them in a pillar of fire. They could open their eyes at any time and look around and see actual proof that God was with them.  Manna showed up every morning for them to eat, physical evidence that God would provide for them, and yet it says that the people complained that there wasn't a variety of things to eat.  It says that even the physical presence of God didn't draw people into a loving relationship with him.  The Israelites rebelled, complained, refused to believe, didn't offer God their unending love.
Solomon was given every gift he asked for. He built an amazing temple that God actually entered and filled with his glory.  Solomon had every reason to love God with all of his heart and yet it says that in the end Solomon became obsessed with the gifts and power themselves, and not with the giver of the gifts. 
It  struck me that even when God answers every prayer and makes himself so obviously present that people don't love him more and obey him more fervently. 
We don't love and obey Santa Clause.  Santa Clause brings our hearts desires and comes every year, yet it isn't enough to foster love.  I am not going to fall more in love with God by getting what I am waiting for.  I so often wish God would make himself and his plan more obvious to me, but as I have seen in scripture though it may strengthen my emotions, or "faith" for a time it will not produce in me a true love for God that lasts.  I must learn how to fall in love with God and offer him the love that he so amazingly deserves. 
It has been so freeing to realize that my relationship with God isn't tied to me feeling close to God, an emotional experience of feeling God's closeness is not what will sustain me. God's number one desire is to have a relationship with me.  He understands that just showering me with the gifts that I am asking for, or making His presence easy to see isn't in my best interest.  He is sometimes hidden and quiet so that I will have the blessing of learning to love him more.  He doesn't always answer requests right away, or shower me with the gifts I ask for because he wants me to have the gift of a love that doesn't depend on gifts. 
God is not Santa Clause and I am so thankful that He knows what I need more than I know what I need.  I am thankful that God knows what will lead me into true faith and relationship with Him, even when I think he is wrong.  I am thankful that I am learning to have a true love and affection for God. Most of all I am thankful that despite my very small understanding of him and my "disappointment" with him that he has not given up on me.