November 19, 2024
If we ask our Gracious Father, He will show us something new about Himself, His Son, and His Spirit every day. It is His delight to thrill our hearts by giving us a never-ending view of Him-Who-Is-All. He knows we need this spiritual exhilaration, for if we do not regularly “taste of the love of Christ,” as Flavel said, “our souls will go in silent search of other lovers.”
IN THE MIDST
When we are in pain, we need this insight most. The Enemy is present there. He loves to exploit these moments by whispering in our ears that our God is not loving or kind. If we don’t recognize his lies and mindlessly grant him access, our relationship of faith with the Father will be severely damaged.
This is why we must read our Bibles and pray. We must experientially come into God’s presence each day, particularly in times of hardship, and say, “Show me Yourself, O, Lord.” And He will. It is our only antidote.
THE ISRAELITE LESSON
God had chosen a people for Himself. Despite their continual waywardness, His love was, and is, ever-lasting.
At one point in her history, Israel had rebelled against God and turned aside to idols once again. God warned them repeatedly through Jeremiah, the prophet, finally telling them that He would have to discipline them by allowing Babylon to defeat them and take them into captivity. They persisted, and He did as He had promised.
They did not realize, of course, that this was one more evidence of His love, for “whom the Lord loves He disciplines” (Hebrews 11:6). But notice His almost immediate call to them. When they settled into captivity, He had Jeremiah write them a letter, reminding them of His enduring promises to His covenant people (Jeremiah 30-31).
He knew they could not endure without hope, and so, He reminded them of His everlasting lovingkindness and that, even though they had rebelled, He would one day come again and redeem them back to His land and settle them forever (which He did and has repeatedly done).
In the midst of this fatherly letter, God reveals one of the life-changing truths about Himself, which is the kind of understanding we so desperately need.
Thus says the Lord, “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness—Israel, when it went to find its rest.” The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore, I have drawn you with lovingkindness. Again I will build you and you will be rebuilt.” (Jeremiah 31:2-4)
“The people … found grace in the wilderness.” My, my. The summary of our lives in one verse. Amid this world’s darkness, the Enemy’s relentless attacks, and the weakness of our flesh, we are continually finding grace from our Father, even in the wilderness. In fact, especially in the wilderness.
And why is that grace so abundant?
“I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore, I have drawn you with lovingkindness.” His persistent love—even in our rebellion and pain—keeps drawing us back to Himself. We are drawn away by this world and our spiritual attention deficit tendencies, but He keeps drawing us to Himself. The perfection of His love demands it to be so … and we find grace in the wilderness.
Meditate deeply on this today … and love Him more.
December 20, 2024
December 17, 2024
