I never quite grasped it---I mean the depth of it.
Until recently.
Psalm 84: 2 says, “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God!”
“He rescued me because He delight[s] in me.” Psalm 18:19
“The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
Jesus loves us! We’ve sang it a million times. We’ve heard it. But have we encountered and experienced His love? And moreso, have we returned this love?
Many of you read my note a few months ago, “My Philosophy on Relationships,” and I received numerous comments…but I was missing the point. The point is not to be in a relationship and get married at some point in my life. The point is loving Jesus! And loving Him wholly, being faithful to Him first and foremost!
I was at the International House of Prayer over Christmas break and what really hit me was the first commandment---“Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, ALL your mind, ALL your soul, and ALL your strength. (Matthew 22:37-40)” I finally understood---He desires my affections, my adoration, my relationship first and foremost. God doesn’t want me to sing a few worship songs to Him on Sunday or to read a few Bible verses every day---He wants ME, all of me and all of my life and all of my heart. He wants me to love Him because He relentlessly pursues me, even when I don’t deserve it.
Misty Edwards spoke about Jesus dying on the cross as “The Great Proposal.” God SO LOVED the world that He gave His only begotten Son. GOD SO LOVES US. God desires for us to be with Him! God wants YOU with Him! Just think about it: God sent His own precious, pure Son to take our place on the cross for our sins, for our rebellion, for our mistakes because God is that desperate for us. Jesus took our cup of wrath and when He died on the cross He was crying out to you and me, “Marry ME! I AM love, full of desire for you; passionate, jealous, I AM an all-consuming fire. What’s yours is mine and what’s mine can be yours; give me your sins, your guilt, your regret, your brokenness, your hunger, your hurt, and take MY authority, my Name, my Kingdom---MARRY ME!”
Jesus rose from the dead and He is still ALIVE. He is love and He so loves us. His love is not toleration, not passivity, but a downright firey love. He wants YOUR HEART.
I want God to be my daydream! I want to feast upon His love! I want to love Him with all that I am. I want my heart to skip a beat when I’m in His presence. I am dependent on Him. I am obedient to Him.
As I sat in His presence at the International House of Prayer, this is what God told me (I recorded it in my journal):
“Hephzibah! I delight in you! I long for you! It doesn’t matter who else does or doesn’t delight in you. I DELIGHT IN YOU! I AM more than enough for you! You are part of my Bride! Draw near to me. Seek Me and you will find Me. My desire is for you, Megan. Come to Me! I will ravish your heart with My Love. You are My beloved; I will reveal My heart to you and seal your heart with the flame of My love.”
Tonight at Slow Burn God did just as He said; He came to me, as He does all the time. He came with His love, and I overflow with the goodness of it.
Kirk Franklin recently Tweeted, “God doesn’t want to date you. He wants a marriage. Jump-offs don’t create intimacy. It’s time to say ‘I do.’” Just read Isaiah 54:5, “For your Maker is your Husband, the Lord Almighty is His name---the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.” Paul writes I Philippians 3:8, “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” That’s powerful. Everything pales in comparison to knowing Christ. Everything.
So often you see Christians going from relationship to relationship trying to find that love, that fulfillment from other Christian men/women. But Paul addresses this---nothing can surpass knowing Jesus intimately. Nothing can fill that void.
I was just having coffee with a dear friend who made a profound statement: having a Godly significant other is no better than God alone. God alone is sufficient; God’s love OVERFLOWS. Anything + God is no more fulfilling than God alone.
Lukewarm is not an option---God desires our passionate, uninhibited love and whole-hearted devotion. Clint Thomas (pastor of Slow Burn) once said that the world is a great flirt but a lousy lover. Listen: if you’re aimlessly searching and desiring something more, if you know you need long-term fulfillment instead of short-term satisfaction that leaves you empty, cry out to Jesus. Psalm 16:11 says, “You fill me with joy in Your presence!” He longs to fill you with joy!
Surrender---let us surrender our lives and our love to Him. I devote myself to wholly ministering to the heart of God and loving Him first and foremost. I will sit at His feet. I will lay my head against His chest. I give Him my truest heart’s devotion. He is the only One worthy of my worship. I am obedient to Him because I love Him. I want such intimacy with Him---I want such an authentic relationship with God that His love consumes every aspect of my life. I want to be so discerning of His voice, so attentive to His presence, so obedient to His love.
I’m done with bartering. I quit negotiating. Especially in areas where my heart is concerned! Proverbs 4:23 says to, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” In our society, I’ve been so prone to think that once I’ve got my relationship with God right, then He’ll bless me with a Godly man and that’s when the fairy tale happens. This is such a lie from the enemy to keep us distracted and searching. Hear this: God alone is more than enough for us!
He wants my AFFECTIONS! My ADORATION! My PRAISE, my WORSHIP! My THANKS! My HEART! My LOVE! My LIFE! He wants ME. And He is all I need.
We’ve gotten it so misconstrued, even in the American church. Richard Joseph Krejcir states it correctly when he writes, “Your objective is not to seek fulfillment or desire, but to choose a mate with whom to live together with in unbroken devotion to the Lord. This brings the fullness that will make your house reflect God, serve for His glory, and be an example to those around you (Joshua 24:14-15).”
God is so so so good…when I reflect on the mistakes I’ve made and the multiple times I’ve harloted my affections and adoration away instead of giving them to Him, I see His gentle discipline and provident love constantly embracing and blessing me when I come to Him. I absolutely love Lamentations 3:22-25, which proclaims, “Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait on Him.’ The Lord is good to those who hope in Him; to the ones who seek Him.” Sometimes we read Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart,” and we put emphasis on the latter half of the verse instead of the beginning of it. When we delight ourselves in God, when we are found in Him and fulfilled in Him and loving Him with all that we are, He lavishes His love on us and aligns our desires with His, and He honors that.
I want to come to the point where God can entrust me with such a blessing as a truly anointed relationship is. We have to come to a point where God can look at us and say, “You are a pure vessel. I know you love Me first and foremost with all that you are and that your devotion is unwavering from Me. I know that you love me and are flourishing in the contentment and joy of My Love. Now let me encourage you, let me bless you with a Godly mate, because I know you are wise enough and strong enough in Me to handle it in a way that brings Me glory. Now go, spread the Kingdom and set an example in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” I will be faithful to my Beloved, Christ Jesus.
So this is my correction to my blog, “My Philosophy on Relationships”: I will not merely wait for my beloved.
I am faithful to my Beloved, who is Jesus Christ.
Misty Edwards sums it up quite beautifully: “Impact God and you will impact men. The energy starts inward and becomes and inferno of love. A man or woman on fire will change the world and won’t end up burnt out in the end. The First Commandment always leads to the Second. Every light that shines is a light that burns. When you are on fire in love for God many will rejoice in that light and come into the fellowship of the flame.”
Isaiah 29:13-14 says, “These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is made up only of rules taught by men. Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder…” God wants YOUR HEART. Do you see it?
Loving God is not encompassed in mere traditions…God IS love and He desires you.
“Love cleanses, beloved. My love isn’t a weapon. It’s a lifeline. I am so determined to have you.” This is God’s call to you.
Open your heart and seek God, allow His love to consume all of you and make you new.
Love Him. Love HIM.
That’s the point. That’s the whole point---a LOVE relationship with God.
May we love Him with arms wide open and a heart exposed---just as Jesus loves us. He relentlessly pursues us with His love. He came that we might have life and have it to the FULL in Him.
Will you commit to another man or woman or will you commit to God?
“Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name! Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not His benefits---who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:1-5
“For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” Psalm 107:9
His unfailing love awaits you. Love him.
