This Saturday evening, sitting in the presence of God before tomorrow's service, I am very moved; and if I write this, it is only to release some of the intensity of the moment; how can I cry on the screen? Indeed, in drawing closer to God, I have always wondered what He could possibly find in us.
Why does He bother? No, no, don't give me the theological answers, I can recite them. That's not it. It's just that there are, aren't there, those moments when you are stunned, astounded by what you hear, perceive, and see, when you are speechless, unable to give a coherent explanation.
No wonder, after all, how can we fit the Most High into our own little categories? He took pleasure, in His greatness, in making Himself accessible, so accessible that some may even accuse us of anthropomorphism, but no matter! Yet there are times when you are so overwhelmed by the awareness of His Person that you can do nothing but sit, kneel, worship, weep, in His presence.
It has always seemed to me that the primary need of the Christian was to know Him; we play with Him because we do not know Him; we indulge in competition, in immodesty, because we do not know Him. Paul was so captivated by this one desire that he cried out, 'my goal is to know Him.' After many revelations, the desire remained intact, to know Him; to be malleable in His hands; to please Him.
Isn't that why we do all this, we travel, we preach, we have our services; so that men may know Him, love Him, serve Him? I love the people I preach to each week, I love the people I preach to when I travel, I love the people of this city, I want to see them all saved, healed, everything; but tomorrow morning when I go to declare the words of this life, it will not be for them first.
It will be to declare the excellencies of Him who called me out of darkness into His marvelous light. I will preach His praise, I will praise Him by preaching, declare before heaven and earth the infinite wisdom of Him whom I serve, declare before the angels, the armies of heaven, before every demon and the devil himself, the immeasurable glory, the omniscience and the magnificence of my King.
It will be because majesty must be declared, wisdom must be exalted, and such ways must be sung. And above all, it will be to proclaim His praise.
Shalom.
Jesus, you are immense! I realize once again that you delight in revealing your true nature to those who seek you and want to please you. There is nothing more good than pleasing the Lord and worshipping him for all that he is. Shalom
Pst, this text reminds me of your message “Enthusiasm for God”.
And how, listening to it 3 years ago, I said to myself: Lord, I feel in this message a special intimacy between you and your servant and I want to know you too.
Amen!
God's love is magnificent and grasping it is life changing.
Even though we may sometimes say that a man is detestable, God will never say that about one of his children because his love for us is unconditional.
There is nothing in me more than another, but what God sees in each of us is the sacrifice of his Son Jesus and that is why we are saved when we decide to believe, accept, and follow the path that Jesus opened for us.
What love for Him. Pastor, you always inspire me so much!