Who am I, that sovereign omnipotence would seek reconciliation with me, though I rejected Him at the outset? “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity.”1 Thus no action I take is deserving of Your mercy. Yet before time and in the midst of eternity You found that Your glory would be demonstrated in saving Your creation. This You did by becoming a man and becoming a sacrifice for man. How did I do it? How did all of humanity do it? How did we look on true beauty and say, “Yes it is great, but You must answer my thoughts before I choose You. Before I will accept this sacrifice I must find if I can seek my desire, for it is great, and I think that You want to take it from me.” For this reason we ate the fruit we saw as good, we pursued the gods that held our pleasure, and we crucified You, in the form of Your Son, so that our life would be our own. But even in that rejection of You, You loved us eternally. You said, “Listen to me, you stubborn of heart, you who are far from righteousness: I bring near my righteousness; it is not far off, and my salvation will not delay.”2 And so Your death washed us thoroughly from our iniquity, and Your resurrection defeated sin’s greatest power, death. Death, our just reward, and the constant bite at our heel, always present, always waiting. But what power could it have compared to Yours? What power could even death, which is constant, which is unyielding, and which is persistent have over You? Thus You showed what the emptiness of death’s power really is, so that none could mistake that omnipotence belongs to You alone.
You did this for me, because Your love for me is unfathomable. This love that I know, though only in part is multiplied in this; You have loved every man and woman in the same, unknowable way. Every human that was born on this earth has been known by You. I have pondered on this often, and it renders me speechless. I have sat at a wedding and looked at all who were there, and marveled at Your love for them. You know each person. You know the depths of their soul and complexity completely and intimately, and that thought drives me to awestruck wonder.
So I sat at this celebration and looked on the people that You loved. I saw my friends, my acquaintances, and thought of Your love for them. How You wove them together before time and knew them even then. They danced with the joy that You have given them, and they laughed (What a wonder! That happiness should be so powerful at a moment that sound should come from our mouths! It’s as if every giggle or chuckle is a song of praise!). We delighted in the new couples’ joy, and in our friends’ covenant with You. We danced and laughed in recognition of Your glory in their lives.
I looked at those who were older than our youthful group. Those who might could not dance as well as before, but seeing the movement and rhythm of others brought smiles to their faces. How You love them dear Lord. For how much toll does life take on any one person? And I am still young; maybe not naïve, for I know many trials await me, but still I do not know as they do. If there have been some hardships, more will come. These men and women know this, and You have sustained their bodies and their hearts to continue on. They smiled and they talked about other weddings and other times, and remembered them with fondness.
Then I looked on those who were hurting, on those who had been hit by the world’s brokenness all too recently. But they still found joy in that place. You were with them in their pain, that they might delight in others’ joy. And some of these that I spoke to praised You for the celebration You had given. They cried (many of us did) for joy that this should occur. That You would take two people, and join them so that Your glory would be shown. So that it would be seen that all provision comes from You, and that “You yourself are their peace, who has made them both one and broken down in Your flesh the dividing walls of hostility.”3 Thus You comforted those who were burdened with life’s struggles, that even though the journey was growing more difficult and burdensome, You would sustain them; that they would rejoice in the joy that You had given to this couple that they might praise You.
Then I looked to the children in that place. They who were carefree and fully trusting of their parents’ care and love, “for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”4 Without a moment’s hesitation they danced and rejoiced in the moment that You had given them even if they did not yet fully understand Your presence in that moment (though who does fully understand Your presence in any moment? Are we not all but Your children; trusting without fully knowing, loving without completely understanding, but pressing on that we might know You more?). So the children were happy and playful, each one rejoicing in the present.
Lastly, I saw the new couple. All eyes looked at them approvingly, and multitudes of congratulations and well wishes came to them throughout the evening. They rejoiced as well. For You had granted something that at times seems unfathomable to me. That You would join two together and thus show Your own glory, that through all the brokenness of the world, You would make it so that two could be united through You, and in this union there would not just be life, but great abundance of joy would thrive through You. And they knew dear Lord. They knew that this moment was about Your glory and Your redemptive mission in their lives. They praised You in their vows, in their actions, in their laughter that day. How a heart is warmed by love that seeks to praise You as sovereign Father and King.
All this I saw, and it turned my heart constantly toward Your goodness. I know that Your love for me is unexplainable, and seeing others reminds me that Your love for them is equally deep. Then I am astounded and driven to love You even more. Every breath of life testifies to Your presence and each moment of time drives us to see You. What a blessing to think upon You and Your people. What peace is given when I am struck dumb and enraptured by the love that you have poured out. What a joy it is to sit in silence and ponder upon the glory of the Lord.
1. Psalm 51:5
2. Isaiah 46:12-13
3. Ephesians 2:14
4. Luke 18:16
No comments:
Post a Comment