I sat on the floor as the notes and words of worship music rose and fell like a feather caught in a gentle breeze. I was captured in the presence of God and was enjoying the opportunity to simply rest in Him.
It wasn’t long before He began to speak to me about how much He loves me and how special I am to Him. I smiled as His words touched my heart but then He said something I wasn’t expecting.
Thank you for letting Me be a part of your life.
I jerked my head up distorting the music in my ears. I knew I hadn’t heard right. God doesn’t thank us. That’s the devil. I shook my head and closed my eyes.
Thank you.
I opened my eyes and looked around. He’d said it again. Or rather, I’d heard it again. I stared at the wall trying to process why I was hearing this sort of nonsense until I felt something change. The peace that settled on me was a thick blanket that smothered every protest my mind offered. I began to remember. He loves me. This is relationship. This is intimacy. He can be thankful. I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly. “You’re welcome.”
****
Something is off about my entire experience right? I mean, how can God, who is so big and so powerful and so mighty, be thankful for anything? Not that being thankful is evil at all. In fact, thankfulness is repeatedly linked to God’s desire for us (1 Thessalonians 5:18, Ehp 5:20, Col 3:15-17 etc.).
But those verses are for us not God. Our willingness to involve Him in our lives isn’t anything for Him to be thankful about. It’s assumed isn’t it? To consider the opposite is like an error message on the monitor of our brains. It does not compute. But should it?
I think it should.
As we walk on our journey with God and continue to find our way into the depths of His heart, the tendency to create walls of separation between us and Him seems to be ever present. He makes a move towards greater intimacy and we say, “Woa! Hold on a sec. You’re just too big for that kind of thing. You’re too holy and powerful to be saying what you’re saying.”
But if you want to trash that thread just read through the Songs of Solomon. You will see the shepherd (God) pursuing His bride (us) with greater passion and vulnerability than many of us are comfortable with.
He passionately wants intimacy with us. The biblical narrative (even the Old Testament when viewed through the lens of Jesus) describes a God who is constantly coming to our level for the purpose of relationship.
Many of us can get caught in a view that says Jesus came to conceal God’s wrath. Jesus is love but God is angry. But Jesus came to reveal God’s love. God went to the furthest possible extreme He could (the cross) in an attempt to tear down the image of Him so many of us have created. He is not anger. He does not need to be appeased in order to forgive. He is love and that love was fully revealed on the cross along with His character and nature.
Consider this as well. We are called to be imitators of God (Eph 5:1). It doesn’t seem that God would call us into behavior that He Himself doesn’t reflect or walk in. I provided passages above expressing God’s desire for us to walk in thankfulness and there are many more. From this it’s reasonable to assume that God also walks in thankfulness.
The tension that a God who is thankful produces inside of us is intentional and needed. We need to wrestle with it (and other things revelatory about His true nature and character) in order to break down anything hard we still see in Him. He is thankful for you. He is thankful that you make Him a part of your life. He is thankful you’ve walked from darkness into light. You make Him smile.
Blessings,
Jesse and Kara Birkey
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Jesse and Kara Birkey are committed lovers of Jesus who seek to show others the extraordinary life of Jesus is available for everyone. They have authored two books, been featured in films and seek to serve the Lord in whatever ways they can. Follow their blog here.
Bring Jesse and Kara to your venue. Find more information here.
Life Resurrected, Extraordinary Miracles through Ordinary People has been endorsed by Sid Roth and Mark Virkler and is a collection of inspiring stories making it clear that the extraordinary life of Jesus is available to all who love Him. It’s also the testimony of Jesse’s life, the road he travelled bringing him into the arms of Jesus. Get the paperback here. Get the Kindle Version Here. View the trailer here.
Marriage What’s the Point? One couple finds meaning in a crazy mess is the story of their marriage—The tragedy and the restoration. They bear their hearts in an attempt to get others to bear theirs and finally receive the freedom they’ve longed for. Get the paperback here. Get the Kindle Version Here.
Jesse is also featured in the film DeadRaiser, a movie shining the spotlight on resurrection testimonies across the nation. Find more information here.
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