I didn’t take time to discuss it with my parents. In the large arena, I leaped from my seat and headed toward the stage. My mother called after me, but I had gone too far. A sea of people had already separated the two of us. Normally I would have been frightened, but the pull toward Jesus was stronger than my fear. That holy night God opened my heart to receive His message of hope spoken by the evangelist. I walked through the door of hope and received Christ as my personal Lord and Savior.
Christ’s invitation is for all.
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20).
At the very moment I trusted Christ, I entered into a relationship with God much like the one He made with Israel over 3000 years ago. However, instead of being faithful to God, Israel played the harlot. They left their first love and ran after false idols. This broke the heart of God. Though He begged for her return, Israel didn’t listen. They continue to move further away from God.
Sometimes our sense of hopelessness is a direct result from moving away from our love relationship with God. It happens all too easily. The world entices us by dangling shinny stuff in front of our face. False idols woo us from our first love by offering us a rich and meaningful life. Once we reach for the goods, it suddenly turns to death in our hands. It’s then—surrounded by trouble and hopelessness—we realize that we’ve been playing the harlot too. We’ve broken the heart of God. Longing to come home we wonder if He’ll ever take us back. Amazingly, the answer is yes!
While it’s true that God cannot condone sin and He suffers when His children are unfaithful, He also cannot deny his love for the sinner. God’s love is stronger than our sin. This is our hope. God seeks to renew broken relationships by providing a door of hope. “I will give her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Anchor a door of hope” (Hosea 2:15). It’s in our Valley of Anchor—our trouble—that God provides an open door of escape. As we call out to God, He swings open a door of rest and invites us in.
There is nothing you and I can do to weary God’s love. No matter how far we stray. No matter how unfaithful we become. God will always take us back. Confession is the way we re-enter His holy chamber. Using Psalms 51 as our guide we cry out, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (1-2; 10).
Judy says
I am in awe of Abba's amazing and powerful resurrection love,that His mercies are new every morning, and that He desires me to know Him and His glory so intimately that He relates to my heart and soul -the core of my being. He speaks to me not only through His living word and circumstance and others, but with the beauty of nature and in music – Abba woos me to know Him!
Thank you Micca for sharing your thoughts.