FEAR IN LOVE ?

Lord Jesus said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”

Matthew 7:7

The first time I completed reading the entire Bible (encouraged by a brother and my son ,otherwise I used to only read the New Testament),I went outside ,looked at the sky , extended my hand and asked God to give me a droplet of water as a mark of His approval. I waited for a few seconds, took a few steps towards the door, waited again……..then felt a droplet of water on my face……..and then more. It slowly started raining. I rushed inside and brought a bowl to collect the water. The rain continued till afternoon .When the bowl was full , it stopped. I was exhilarated——–can anything compare with that joy?————nothing.

Also, I imagined if God would come and ask me (from a materialistic perspective) —What do you want?(like the fairy who granted 3 wishes in Fairy Tales), I would have just ONE wish to be granted——–that His love is sufficient  to fulfil all my needs. If we love our children, know their desires and what is best for them and have all authority and power, would they have to ask for anything?

• But, there is a fear of God that I want to talk to you about. His Agape (love) produces a fear in us (receivers).You know why? Because God ,in His love for us ,crossed all boundaries. He sacrificed His beloved——PERFECT SON.

This is what I want to tell the world of believers. Not only did the Son feel the agony, but more so Father Himself. When you got hurt in childhood, who got bereaved more—-you or your mother? I am sure your mother did. Even if you could bear the pain, she couldn’t till she saw you well again. Besides this, mothers also want all their children’s sorrows to come upon themselves.

Our Heavenly Father allowed His Son to suffer. He would have preferred to rather suffer Himself but that wouldn’t have fulfilled the purpose of His creation and the perfect sacrifice of the ‘PASSOVER’. Just as Abraham could not offer His own life in place of Isaac’s. That’s easier for parents. In the garden of Gethsemane, we see Lord Jesus at the height of agony asking the Father to take away His cup of suffering.

And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

Mark 14:36

But Father Himself was drinking a cup even more bitter than the Lord’s cup.

When King David was informed about his son, Absalom’s death, he was completely broken. Though Absalom had conspired against him, David still wished that he himself had died in his stead.

And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept:and as he went, thus he said,O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom!would God I had died for thee.O Absalom, my son, my son!

2 Samuel 18:33

• His son jeopardized his father’s life, made plans to kill him but his father still instructed his forces not to harm him. That’s the heart of a father!
• Now think about our Heavenly Father. He has a perfect son and yet he allowed Him to suffer and die a torturous death to ‘buy’our salvation.
• David was oblivious when his son was dying otherwise he would have stopped the act.
• Our Heavenly Father was seeing His son being crucified and taking the burden of the entire creation upon Himself. How much He must have been moved! The Creator ——the Holder of the entire power and authority declared Himself powerless. Why? All because He loves us and wants to save us .He does not want even a single soul to perish.

So, I am ‘afraid’ of asking anything from this loving, compassionate, merciful and longsuffering Father who has already given me the greatest gift of Salvation without asking and deserving.

The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…….

Exodus 34:6,7

• For all those who realize the value of God’s grace upon us and the importance of His Son’s sacrificial death, Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, speaks on our behalf when he tells King David:-

  ….. my lord the king is as an angel of God: do therefore what is good in thine eyes.

  For all of my father’s house were but dead men before my lord the king: yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thine own table. What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto the king?

  2Samuel 19:27,28

• Similarly, we address our King Lord Jesus and surrender at His will asking Him to do that which is right in His eyes. We were all destined for death because of our sins and those of our ancestors yet He gave us the opportunity to become the Father’s children and eat at His table i.e. He prepared a place for us in His Heavenly Kingdom. We are so saturated with His favours that we want to offer Him ‘sacrifices ’ of praise and thanksgiving.

Hebrews 13:15

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

What more can I ask from Him than to have His way in me and make my every thought and action captive in subjection to His will . Because He cares……..

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalms 139:24

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

Psalms 19:14

 PRAYER

Our gracious Heavenly Father, may we always realize the value of Your unfathomable love and walk in perfect obedience and submission to Your will. Lord, abide in us and make us sanctified vessels of Your glory.

In Jesus’s most precious name,

Amen.

 

–Sol. Neelam Sharma