Monday, October 17, 2011

Oh, how He loves us!

[From October 2, 2011]

"...And he became their Savior in all their distress.  It was no messenger or angel, but his presence that saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old."
(Isaiah 63:9)

Early on in the wonderful film "HOOK" (the story of Peter Pan as a grown-up with kids who has forgotten who he once was), Peter (played marvelously by Robin Williams) is a very busy businessman.  So busy, in fact, that he has no time to attend his son's baseball game, even though he promised his son that he would.  Instead, he sends one of his assistants to video the game so he can watch it later.  The look on his son's face, when he's searching for his father in the stands, but instead finds the video-taping assistant, is crushing.

 But that's how it is in the world sometimes, isn't it?  We are busy.  People in positions of power & influence are especially busy.  They have assistants to take care of the things they're not able to get around to, because of greater priorities.

Isaiah 63 speaks of a time when God could have operated like that.  Who's more powerful than The Almighty?  Who has priorities that we can't even begin to comprehend?  If anyone had the right to delegate tasks it would be God.  That's why he's got prophets and angels & other messengers, right?

But God did a remarkable thing.  When we were lost in our sin & faithlessness... when we were mired in the consequences of our (not-so-good) actions... God himself came to save us.  No angels.  No messengers.  No intermediary.  God came.  In his love & pity, he redeemed us.  He lifted us out of the muck & carried us, as a Father or Mother lovingly carries their child.  God did that.

In the words of John Mark McMillian (made famous by The David Crowder Band):  "Oh, how he love us, oh!  Oh, how he loves us.  How he loves us, oh!"  (Amen to that!)

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