Easter is once again approaching and as usual my thoughts about it drive me deeper - beyond my normal desire to touch the reality of what Christ has done, not only for me, but for all that will come to Him. A part of that for me springs from an advantage of not only having read what the bible says, but in having studied the history and culture of the people and time surrounding Christ's feet touching the earth in human form. Delving into that reality makes me long even more to find deeper intimacy with the God who sent His only Son to spare the likes of me... because He loves me and you so much. It creates a desire to reach past the concerns of this life, to pierce the veil of humanity and touch the eternal reality - the heart of the God who created us.
The quotation of one of the most popular verses in scripture often leaves out a a couple of following verses that are key to finding that intimacy with Father God. That verse is Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
Many know that verse, but the next two verses that follow are just as important and maybe more so to this writing - Jeremiah 29:12&13 (NKJ)
"Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart".
At every gathering centering on commemorating, celebrating, or both, some event related to Christ, or even just an opportunity set aside for expressing gratitude to Father God for His immense grace, I find myself struggling at least just a little. That struggle doesn't involve any lack of sincerity on my own part for what is due to be offered to God in celebration or thanks. Instead, it's my own inner battle over the seeming lack of devotion that I may think I observe in anyone else to have the same need to express an overflowing heart to God and my ensuing desire to see them connect with the heart of their creator.
Every event set aside for commemoration or celebration of God's grace provides a highlighted opportunity to engage in something beyond a surface recognition or observation. It's an opportunity to connect with God on a personal level and acknowledge with an honest heart what He has done for us personally - piercing the veil of what's common and ordinary in our lives to find uncommon intimacy with our Father in heaven. And if ever having done that just once... a heart can never be the same again. I know this and because I know this, I grieve for those who may not have experienced it.
Time and maybe a little maturity have made me realize that not everyone "gets it" - not everyone has been able to reach through all of the insulating temporal issues that surround us in order to connect with God's reality. Not everyone has had that precious moment beyond description - that moment spent feeling the overwhelming weight of His presence that makes them know that they know that they've known Him in reality...
...But I have. The experience is unable to be described fully - for it to be encapsulated completely in human words that give complete truth and weight to its describing,... but once touched by it - that feeling that you've been in the presence of almighty God, ...there's an ever present thirst for more and more of Him. But seeking Him truly... is key to finding that audience with Him.
We have so many temporal issues facing us daily. They have the potential to insulate us from the presence and reality of our God if we let them. But spending the time in praise and prayer to penetrate the veil of those issues to touch the heart of God in intimate fellowship breathes life into our walk and relationship with Him and gives us a little of the very thing that we've needed from the moment that He breathed life into us - intimacy with Him - more of Him, in real time. Not everyone has had that experience so it's hard, if not impossible for them to relate to my drive to connect with HIm and serve His heart.
Piercing the veil to truly "find God" (though He's never been the one lost) may require something on our part, I know that it did for me. I also know that some people may find it easier than others.
Jesus said in Mark 8:23 (NLT) “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me."
Jesus gave up more than any of us ever had in order to carry HIS cross. What it will actually cost any of us to find ourselves in His presence? He knows better than I, and whether or not it actually costs us everything or not isn't necessarily what He's concerned with. The matter might be more simply this - are we truly willing to make Him first in everything even if it costs us all that we are and all that we have to gain what Christ offers? It's more than we'll ever have otherwise.
I think that some people tend to make the details of the gatherings more important than the reason for the observance sometimes and it bothers me. I tend to focus intently on Jesus suffering and victorious resurrection more so at Easter because it brings what He did to reality for me and makes me really appreciate what He did voluntarily in order to give me the opportunity to be reconciled with God and to have eternal life after this one. For me,... that's what Easter is.
Jesus gave up His power and rights as God when He came, so everything that he suffered in His body, He suffered as a human being. The wounds that He suffered, He felt as horrifically as you and I would. He picked up His place and authority again when He ascended, but His suffering was horrific and He bore it out of love for you and for me. That fact ministers to me powerfully, so it's no wonder that I love Him and it's also no wonder that I don't want the observance of it overshadowed by the superfluous stuff that the world drags into it offensively.
Not only this Easter, but every day, I pray that you find the courage to reach out and pierce the veil of human concerns to touch the heart of Father God beyond it - in intimate relationship with Him. Once you've done it, you'll be forever changed - a lover, addicted to spending time in His presence...
"Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart".
...It's how we pierce the veil.
"No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 (NLT)
Comments
Post a Comment