THE GOD I NEVER KNEW

Tonight's Read: Isaiah 43

I know that the bible calls us to be God's mouthpiece into the world. As believers, we have a responsibility to share with the hopeless the hope that we have in our Savior. I will be the first to admit that I am far from a model 'witness'. Not only have I not actively pursued opportunities to share my God with people that don't truly know him, but I also have run from the opportunities when they were presented to me.

I have known the Lord for twenty years. Well, I should probably do a little backtracking on that statement. For twenty years, I have acknowledged in my heart that the triune God is my savior. I have known who He is. However, my relationship with Him could be described as broken, weak and inconsistent for many of my years. It is only until the most recent times of my life that I have begun to really know Him personally. For example, I grew up knowing that God loved me. I never questioned it. But in the depths of my heart, I believed the kind of affection he had for me was similar to the kind of affection that a mother turtle might have for one of her hundreds of eggs. Sure, she birthed them and wants them to fare well in life. But it's just a part of life that as soon as she lays her eggs, she buries them in the sand and then departs from them to go on about the rest of her days. It's not that she doesn't care for them, but it's certainly not the same kind of affection that a human mother has for her offspring. My understanding of God loving me in this way could not be farther from the truth of who He is!

Since trusting the Lord fully to be who He says He is to me, He has graciously revealed to me how wrong I was about Him! I am not one of hundreds that he will bury and abandon. I am one that he 'created...formed...redeemed....summoned...ransomed' (Isaiah ch. 43) and I am 'precious and honored in [His] sight and because [He] loves me, will give men in exchange for my life' (v.4). Reading what His word says about His affection for me is in stark opposition to my assumption that He loves me like a turtle. His book, His word tells me that I am infinitely valuable and He treasures me because He chose me!

I used to think that the reason I felt so inadequate to witness to the lost was because I lead a life that had sinfulness in it and didn't want to appear hypocritical and as a result, hurt the kingdom. But I realize now, that the reason I couldn't share with people about my God is because I really didn't truly know Him. Hallelujah that He has been patient, faithful and gracious enough to open the eyes of my heart to understand the truth of His heart for me. Not only do I now feel like I might be able to share His love with someone who didn't know, but I feel so excited at the thought of the opportunity to spread the good news. It's like the light bulb has finally come on and I 'get it'. What a truly wonderful thing to understand--- who this God of love is to me.

Zephania 3:17 "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."