April 22
The Drive of Love
“But let all who take refuge in Thee be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And mayest Thou shelter them, That those who love thy name may exult in Thee..”
“Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don't know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings.” -- Anais Nin
There are many ways in which God prepares His child to do His work. He uses many schools to tutor and instruct them in His ways and in His will. But out of all the teachers God could use in the life of His child, there is none He calls for more than the trying teacher whose name is grief. Sorrow is the stern and painful teacher that demands more from its pupil than any other. The course it chooses to delve into the depths of our being is not the path of least resistance, but oftentimes the most difficult of passages.
All other comforts must be lost, every way of escape cut off leaving but one avenue; the avenue that leads to the Master Himself. The teacher of pain and mourning has much wisdom and strength to impart that cannot be given any other way but through the shedding of tears.
This lonely classroom of solitude draws one into an acquaintance with the Father as never before, bidding the soul into an intimacy of divine fellowship. God will bring His child into the deserted wastelands to give drink to the soul, into the foothills to lay out a plain, and through the valleys to stand upon the mountain top.
God’s ways are not our ways and neither His thoughts the thought of man. He is a God of amazement, awe and wonder; a God who cannot be figured out, explained or even understood. The most powerful force upon God’s earth is also the most powerful force in Heaven; the love of God for His child. His love is incomparable, unstoppable. and mighty to save and secure.
It’s often through times of brokenness we are enabled to grasp with rare insight the pain of God’s heart for His people when they turn away and forsake Him. It’s incomprehensible for us to believe that our actions have the potential to break the heart of God the Almighty. But the truth is our hearts are most vulnerable to pain when it comes to those we love beyond ourselves, even for God.
My heart has pondered the heartbreak of God and the measures He has taken, and does take to reveal just how much He loves us. We can miss understanding anything else in life but He absolutely does not want us to miss this enduring truth. When we lean into this hope, this absolute that God really does love us, our inner being is stirred to life. In the core of this thought process and mediation, the Holy Spirit formed these words within my heart so tenderly yet altogether mighty: “A oneness is birthed when two hearts beating upon the cord of life discover their desperate need for one another.”
What a captivating reality for the soul to experience! I won’t pretend to understand even an inkling of the depth of God’s love but I will confess my yearning to understand it, to indulge myself in the vastness of its existence in my life.
To experience the love of God in its fullness is the longing of God’s heart for us. So passionate was God to reveal this to us that we will become the very tears of God upon the earth. As the veil of tears is lifted from us, we can discover that God is the One whose heart is breaking and we are but the fountain through which He pours out the grief of His heart. We are the vessel of God’s affections, His commitment and enduring love.
In order to follow, we must first forsake.
Pearls of Grace is a book of devotions for the entire year, including a read through the Bible in a year calendar, broken down for every day. Beautifully written with encouraging words of hope and empowering words of joy and strength for every woman. Pam draws from the truth and richness of God's Word and gives real life examples in her down to earth style. A must have in your library, click here for more information.
For more from Pam Jenkins and Jabbok Ministries, please visit www.jabbokministries.com!
Listen to Pam Jenkins's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com.
