Wednesday, July 29, 2009

How my Soul's Lover has wooed me with His Love Letter

holy experience


It began with a craving to know more deeply...to live more truly.

"Would you join me and we can be an LTG?" I asked My Hero. He (somewhat reluctantly) agreed. He doesn't throw himself blindly into commitments that might demand too much as I am prone to do. But this one was good. How can it not be good to commit to read large portions of scripture together, to hold each other accountable, to pray for lost people, to see where God takes us?

A few weeks later I was invited into another LTG with a couple of girl friends. I grinned. Thirty chapters a week wasn't enough, anyway. I can read sixty.

My soul drinks long gulps. I see how God deals with Abraham, watch Abraham make mistakes but never waver in confidence that God will deliver all He has promised. I walk with David through his life, watch with shining eyes as he challenges the giant because he knows God is on his side. I see new sides of God; he puts the rainbow in the sky not for us, but to remind Himself never to destroy the earth again with a flood. I see him cause David to take a census of the land, and then punish all Israel for that sin. And I hear Paul say to the Romans, "Well then, you might say, 'Why does God blame people for not listening? Haven't they simply done what he made them do?' No, don't say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to criticize God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who made it, 'Why have you made me like this?' When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn't he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into?" 9:19-21 (NLT)

Who is this God I call my God? He is bigger than I can ever know, but He lets me know Him. His ways are unfathomable to me, but he pours out grace. His justice cannot be satisfied by me, a broken sinner, but he provides a blood offering Himself so I can be clean.

I thirst to thirst for You. I hunger to be hungry for You. I long for wisdom that will pull me to your Word as my daily sustenance, that will desire silence before You more than a soft couch and an easy, mind numbing sitcom. I choose You, commit to You, even when I don't feel it, even when my straying eyes lose sight of the King of Heaven and wander aimlessly and settle on a magazine, a brownie, a daydream. My Soul's Lover, catch me up and open my eyes and recapture my heart. I commit to immerse myself in Your Word so that who You are is such a part of me that I cannot settle for less.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

How awesome it is when we are given that thirst!

Deidra said...

We have this treasure in earthen vessels and oh what a joy to behold! Your love for Him spills over into your words and I am smiling.

Maria said...

Your joy is an overflowing JOY. Spilling over on all of us here...

When I read...

"...even when my straying eyes lose sight of the King of Heaven and wander aimlessly and settle on a magazine, a brownie, a daydream."

My thoughts were...
...that perhaps our eyes are not always straying but are, at times, being lead to witness another heavenly lesson... those that come through others, through nature... through a dream...

all the best to you ~ Maria

Denise said...

Beyond awesome.

Sue said...

This is the best part...

"I commit to immerse myself in Your Word so that who You are is such a part of me that I cannot settle for less."

This should be our goal and desire all the time! Thanks for your encouragement and wisdom.

Ann Voskamp @Holy Experience said...

Oh, these words, this truth, took away my breath: "He is bigger than I can ever know, but He lets me know Him."

Thank you, kind friend... that truth again bows me low.

You bless.... you shine Jesus.

All's grace,
Ann