Depths of Eternity
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Photo by Yannis Papanastasopoulos
“I love you with an everlasting Love, which flows out from the depths of eternity. Before you were born, I knew you. Ponder the awesome mystery of a love that encompasses you from before birth to beyond the grave.”
God is saying to us that he loves us with a love that lasts forever. It is a love that is beyond the confines of time. He loved us before we entered the world and he will love us after we leave this world. This love “flows out from the depths of eternity”. How deep is eternity? According to Siri the deepest depth of the Pacific Ocean is 35,840 feet. Eternity however is immeasurable. It is beyond time and beyond measurement. So a love that is everlasting is a love that is beyond measure. Because it cannot be measured it cannot be altered. We have no effect on God’s love, we simply are the focus of his love. We can’t increase it and we can’t diminish it. That is a rock solid foundation that offers all the security we will ever need. In a world of change and fickle emotions that ebb and flow based on a myriad of things, I am beyond grateful to be loved by my Father God with no conditions.
I’ve spent more than half my life not realizing this truth in a way that had any real effect on my life. As a result my relationship with God wasn’t much of a relationship but rather an effort if you will. It was my effort to be good enough, and when I failed, I’d hide from God in shame and fear. You know the saying, “They don’t care what you know until they know you care”? I’m heavy on the grace and love of God because of the truth of this saying. I know from personal experience the end result of striving to be good enough, to be worthy of love and it’s not a happy ending.
Our God’s nature is one of perfect love, grace, and mercy. He is not however an enabler. He cannot in any way be manipulated or changed. This love does not give us license to do anything and everything we may want to do. This may seem like bad news but nothing could be farther from the truth. His boundaries really do fall in pleasant places and are for our protection. Because of his love he wants what is best for us and he knows better than we do. He has an eternal perspective we do not have so clearly his ways are higher than our ways.
Photo by Dương Hữu
His love is everlasting and unchanging, and I personally believe this truth is foundational to the growth of a healthy relationship. The knowledge of a perfect love provides a safe place to grow. Growth in a relationship requires vulnerability and authenticity. In order to be vulnerable and authentic we must trust that it is safe to do so. Authenticity by it’s very definition requires honesty. It we have unresolved doubts and questions, the only way toward resolution is honest communication. Jesus loves sharing the truth with us and invites us to bring everything to him, not just the good, pleasant, proper stuff. In Isaiah 61 he offers us the invitation to bring him the ashes of our lives so he can exchange them for beauty. He longs “to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners...to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve, to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”
I hope the truth of this scripture gives you the courage to get real with Jesus. It is by far the best thing I’ve ever done. I brought some really ugly stuff to him trust me. What I received in exchange changed who I am which ultimately changed my life. There is nothing I gave up that I miss. Sin is packaged attractively and dare I say can be fun...at first anyway. But it always leads to destruction sooner or later. Romans 3:23 tells us, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It’s gonna happen, and when it does run to God not away. Tell him about it, bring your remorse, turn away from it, receive his forgiveness, and forgive yourself. And then bask in the love and share your gratitude with the One who will never you leave you, never forsake you, and never give up on you.
I have two words for 2019 that I believe God gave me to focus on. The words are praise and worship. I still have that tendency to focus on me rather than on him. Praise and worship shift that focus and shift my perspective from my inability to his ability.
Photo by Hanny Naibaho
The lyrics of “Defender” by Francesca Battistelli say it beautifully (partial lyrics):
You go before I know
That you’ve even gone to win my war
Your love becomes my greatest defense
It leads me from the dry wilderness
And all I did was praise
And all I did was worship
And all I did was bow down
And all I did was stay still
Hallelujah, you have saved me
So much better your way
Hallelujah, great Defender
So much better your way
When I thought I lost me
You knew where I left me
You reintroduced me to your love
You picked up all my pieces
Put me back together
You are the Defender of my heart
Take a few minutes to listen to the song in its entirety. I think you will be blessed, and I hope you feel loved, because you are.
