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We must have Thee, O Jesus of the Scars.
The other gods were strong but Thou wast weak;
They rode, but Thou did'st stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds, God’s wounds alone can speak,
And not a God has wounds but Thou alone.
-Anonymous
The poet’s point is that God identifies with our pain. He says God knows our pain, because he has experienced pain himself. In fact, couldn’t it be said that God has endured greater pain than any of us will ever endure? Or in other words, there is no pain we will experience that God hasn’t suffered worse…voluntarily. Can you imagine?
Few things soothe better than the words, I understand. I am convinced God really does. He loves us so much, he has insured that he does.
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51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
King David knew God and walked very closely with him. Few people have ever enjoyed the level of intimacy with God that David did! Yet when faced with the temptation of Bathsheba, David gave in to lust, committing the grievous sins of adultery and murder. These sins were intentional, willful, planned, and carefully calculated. How great was his fall!
Yet David was restored.
How? He knew that only God, the Maker, could create the pure heart he desired. And so he asked. And he knew that only God, the Redeemer, could take something as corrupt and defiled as his heart had become, and renew it. And so he asked. Praise God, who makes all things new!
Does this give me encouragement? You bet!! Knowing that David's full and complete restoration from the depths of unimaginable sin was not only within God's ability, but also his will, reassures me that I am never, EVER, beyond his reach!
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64:6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. Some run around yelling, "Quit sinning! Start living righteously!" Often there's even a subtly cloaked "Shame on you!" in their message.
Instead, I yell, "God loves you! Get to know him!!" I think the sinning problem is better solved by getting to know our loving Savior than seeking righteousness on our own.
The way I see it, the grace of God is far more beautiful, far more praiseworthy, than my self-motivated works of righteousness. At least one NT writer also believed that the grace of God was far lovelier than anything he could accomplish himself. 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.
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A meditation for today... 33:20 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 33:21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. 33:22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.
We rush, frenetically, to and fro, accomplishing as much in this life as we can, because this is how we feel good about ourselves, how we look good in the eyes of others, how we get it done for the kingdom of God. We resolve everything, vindicate ourselves, make everything right, finish the story, achieve the goal, solve the problem,
NO. We wait… Deep breath… We wait for the Lord. *sigh* (warning: read the rest slowly)
We wait in HOPE. Hope is not a now thing. Hope looks forward. Hope is reassurance that worries and concerns are for naught, because all will be right when the time comes. God really does have everything under control, so we don’t have to.
We wait in hope for the Lord. HE IS our portion, our fulfillment. He is our ALL. Not the resolution of our problems, the healing of our pains, the accumulation and safeguarding of our wealth. Let our contentment be in HIM. We enjoy him now, and we will enjoy him even more after we’ve waited for him, anticipated him, watched for him, sought him, loved him.
He is our help and our shield. But I need help NOW, and he is too slow! No, wait in hope for the Lord. He is in the midst of my waiting. And he is truth, so therefore he is also my shield. My attackers and accusers have NOTHING on me, for my shield is impenetrable!
IN HIM our hearts rejoice! Yep, still waiting. He is invisible, and he is eternal. AND he is here. With me, with you, with each of us. My, he is so big! Yet he loves even me! I REJOICE!!
And trust, in his holy name, which is truth eternal. What safer place could there be. I feel your unfailing love, Lord. Resting on me, covering me, soothing me, seeping into every corner of my life, redeeming it all. Lord, thank you for your precious words to me today.
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I read the following in my "quiet time" yesterday, and it highlighted for me a real purpose for living: 28:1 To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit. Turn a deaf ear? Remain silent? This sounds like two-way interaction, or the loss of it, to me. Apparently the psalmist clearly believed, as he wrote this, that if God turned a deaf ear toward him, if God stopped listening to him and revealing Himself to him, if God ceased to fellowship with him.....he (the writer) may as well have been dead. Therefore the writer's purpose was to fellowship with God, to communicate to Him, and with Him.
I asked myself, do I feel this way? If God turned a deaf ear to me, and became silent to me, would I feel as though I may as well be dead? Would I lose my very purpose for living?
Would you? |
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