“And now, Israel, what does the Lord you God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good?” Deut. 10:12-13
“For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do – to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to hold fast to Him – then the Lord will…” Deut. 11:22
“Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.” Luke 8:47
Like this woman, I crave the power of love that Christ Jesus exuded in the flesh and now does so through His Holy Spirit. I think about Jesus in the morning, throughout my day, and before falling asleep in the evening. These thoughts are not necessarily formal prayers or supplications or even praise. Rather my thoughts are turned toward the God who knows me intimately. Psalm 5:3 says “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.” I once read from C. S. Lewis writings that he preferred not to utter words when he prayed to God. I can relate to this because I, too, feel that my words are not accurate or humble enough to even know how to express all that I want to say to the Creator of my soul. And I do not want to prattle on about my earthly life when my Lord is speaking heavenly truth. So I look up and wait for direction.
The idea of holding fast to God is comforting. How trustworthy. How kind. How tender He is toward me. And when I am holding on, I can easily love Him and choose to walk in His ways. Even if I stumble during a day’s journey closer to being eternally with Jesus Christ, I am looking into His face and hearing His encouraging words to keep walking. In the space between speaking my words and hearing God’s commandments, I am still His.
This week of remembrance leading up to the crucifixion and Christ’s resurrection is another time when my words are few. The images of Christ’s passion still bring tears to my eyes though I have celebrated this holiest of days yearly for over 30 years. Who would I have been if in the crowd the day of His death? I cannot cry, “Let Him live;” for then I would die. I cannot cry, “Crucify Him!” For then I would only seek to run from impending judgment. So I cry, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And maybe that is why speaking words can be so difficult; why touching Jesus is done with a shaking hand. For I love Him with all my heart and soul, but I know the depth of His love reaches into my very being when He says, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” Luke 8″48.
Go in peace. What a blessing to receive! Thank You, Lord Jesus. You have my good on Your mind. You speak what I can barely whisper – how much You love us! How Your love causes us to tremble!
Sixty-six books in a year 