let us draw near to
God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having
our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our
bodies washed with pure water. Let us
hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful
It seems easy to picture God as this “untouchable” person of
majesty and prestige that holds a heavy hammer in one hand, waiting to land it
on the heads of his subjects that have been doing wrong. It’s easy to picture
God as this merciless ruler, bent on striking fear into his subjects so that
they obey and fall in line with his every whim. After all, we have disobeyed
God more times than we can count…and approaching him tuck-tailed, head down,
cowering under his power seems pretty appropriate and justified. But then we
see Jesus. Then we see that this assumed heavy-handed God has displayed
unmatched love and mercy towards us in sending his own perfect Son to take on
the punishment we were due. And it wasn’t just a toddler level, sit in the corner,
timeout kind of punishment…no, it was brutal agony. It was real deal pain and
anguish. It was and is an incredible display of love. Through Christ, we can
turn to God as our shelter, as a resting place from everything the world rains
down upon us. Through Christ, we can sink into God’s loving arms and find
comfort, as a child finds comfort in the arms of their father. The text above
calls us to “draw near to God”…it calls us to move close to God. I picture a
person broken and beaten, cast aside by the world, falling into the strong arms
of God and being renewed, restored, and strengthened. I picture a loving Father
engulfing his child in his arms, shielding them from harm, and holding them
tight. I picture love. Through our faith in Christ, we are united with God…despite
our sinful nature. May we find peace in that today and may we actively seek out
opportunities to draw near to God. To God alone be the glory!
No comments:
Post a Comment