“Your children will commit themselves to you, O Jerusalem, just as a young man commits himself to his bride. Then God will rejoice over you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.” (Isaiah 62:5, NLT)
Chances are you don’t see the great value in YOU! When God sees you, God sees potential. God sees what you could do with your life. When you were born, God had the hope that you two would be close, that others would see HIS presence in your life, that HIS joy would permeate your existence. The Heavenly Father sent Jesus to save your soul. From Heaven, God sent HIS Spirit to comfort you. HIS angels have watched over you. God values your presence in this world.
What have you done with the potential God has given you? Have you squandered your days on this earth? Have you rejoiced over the resurrection during an Easter service? Does God’s love move you to tears at times?
When someone really loves you, I mean REALLY loves you, it brings a warm and wonderful satisfaction to your heart and soul. A part of you rejoices. Your heart may feel fullness. Your problems recede for a while. True love does that to you. It brings such joy to your day!
“Have you ever noticed the way a groom looks at his bride during the wedding? I have. Perhaps it’s my vantage point. As the minister of the wedding, I’m positioned next to the groom.…
If the light is just so and the angle just right, I can see a tiny reflection in his eyes. Her reflection. And the sight of her reminds him why he is here. His jaw relaxes and his forced smile softens. He forgets he’s wearing a tux. He forgets his sweat-soaked shirt.…When he sees her, any thought of escape becomes a joke again. For it’s written all over his face, “Who could bear to live without this bride?”
And such are precisely the feelings of Jesus. Look long enough into the eyes of our Savior and, there, too, you will see a bride. Dressed in fine linen. Clothed in pure grace.… She is the bride … walking toward him.…
And who is this bride for whom Jesus longs? … You are. You have captured the heart of God.” (Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment, p. 241)
From the preaching of Isaiah, there came a message from God to Jerusalem. The words are captured in Isaiah 62:5, the scripture chosen for today’s meditation. In a difficult time in the history of Israel, Isaiah said to the people of Jerusalem who were recovering from the ravages of war: “God will rejoice over you as a bridegroom over his bride.” When these words were spoken, the people in Jerusalem hardly felt loved. They did not even feel worth loving. The city of Jerusalem was still in shambles. The walls were patched together, but barely. The Temple was only a shadow of its former glory. The rebuilding after the war took a long time. The people of Jerusalem were tired and sore from all the effort it took to rebuild their city. They toiled and toiled to rebuild their lives along with their city. Dirty, beaten, tired, and worn, they kept their noses to the grindstone. They did not feel much worth. The women did not feel pretty. The men were exhausted from the months of work. The last thing they all felt was desirable.
While surrounded by ruins, tired from the toil, aching from the months and years of hard labor trying to rebuild their lives, the people in Jerusalem felt overwhelmed. Then, Isaiah told them what he had learned from God. God saw their toil. God blessed their work. Then, in particular poignancy, Isaiah told the people of his day, “God rejoices over you as a bride rejoices over the bride…” God didn’t see those people of Jerusalem as tired and beaten and worn and poor and hurting. God saw them as beautiful. God saw their potential. God saw their faith. And God loved what HE saw.
There may be moments when you feel overwhelmed. You might feel tired and worn. You might notice the wrinkles that have formed on your face over the years. When you look in a mirror, you might see the saggy skin and imperfections that come with age. You might notice a few scars from past surgeries or remnants of a past injury. You might remember your awkwardness or insecurities. All these “less than perfect” things may cause you to feel depressed or ugly or old or sad or stupid. But God looks at you differently. God looks past your tired eyes and sees the fire of faith still burning in your soul. God looks past the scars of past surgeries and injuries to see the hands that wiped the tears of a child as she cried. God looks past your imperfections to see the beauty of your soul, your beautiful soul. God remembers those moments together in prayer, the times you stood up to defend the needy, the arms that held on to a sobbing friend. God still sees potential in you. God still sees the grace in your heart.
For today, quit being so hard on yourself. Let past mistakes go to God. Ask for forgiveness for a past sin and just enjoy the freedom that God’s grace engenders. Just let yourself rejoice in the love of God. God sees so much that’s beautiful in you! Can you, for one day, see yourself as God sees you? Can you for just a few moments in time view your potential from God’s point of view?
What have you done with the potential God has given you? Have you squandered your days on this earth? Have you rejoiced over the resurrection during an Easter service? Does God’s love move you to tears at times?
When someone really loves you, I mean REALLY loves you, it brings a warm and wonderful satisfaction to your heart and soul. A part of you rejoices. Your heart may feel fullness. Your problems recede for a while. True love does that to you. It brings such joy to your day!
“Have you ever noticed the way a groom looks at his bride during the wedding? I have. Perhaps it’s my vantage point. As the minister of the wedding, I’m positioned next to the groom.…
If the light is just so and the angle just right, I can see a tiny reflection in his eyes. Her reflection. And the sight of her reminds him why he is here. His jaw relaxes and his forced smile softens. He forgets he’s wearing a tux. He forgets his sweat-soaked shirt.…When he sees her, any thought of escape becomes a joke again. For it’s written all over his face, “Who could bear to live without this bride?”
And such are precisely the feelings of Jesus. Look long enough into the eyes of our Savior and, there, too, you will see a bride. Dressed in fine linen. Clothed in pure grace.… She is the bride … walking toward him.…
And who is this bride for whom Jesus longs? … You are. You have captured the heart of God.” (Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment, p. 241)
From the preaching of Isaiah, there came a message from God to Jerusalem. The words are captured in Isaiah 62:5, the scripture chosen for today’s meditation. In a difficult time in the history of Israel, Isaiah said to the people of Jerusalem who were recovering from the ravages of war: “God will rejoice over you as a bridegroom over his bride.” When these words were spoken, the people in Jerusalem hardly felt loved. They did not even feel worth loving. The city of Jerusalem was still in shambles. The walls were patched together, but barely. The Temple was only a shadow of its former glory. The rebuilding after the war took a long time. The people of Jerusalem were tired and sore from all the effort it took to rebuild their city. They toiled and toiled to rebuild their lives along with their city. Dirty, beaten, tired, and worn, they kept their noses to the grindstone. They did not feel much worth. The women did not feel pretty. The men were exhausted from the months of work. The last thing they all felt was desirable.
While surrounded by ruins, tired from the toil, aching from the months and years of hard labor trying to rebuild their lives, the people in Jerusalem felt overwhelmed. Then, Isaiah told them what he had learned from God. God saw their toil. God blessed their work. Then, in particular poignancy, Isaiah told the people of his day, “God rejoices over you as a bride rejoices over the bride…” God didn’t see those people of Jerusalem as tired and beaten and worn and poor and hurting. God saw them as beautiful. God saw their potential. God saw their faith. And God loved what HE saw.
There may be moments when you feel overwhelmed. You might feel tired and worn. You might notice the wrinkles that have formed on your face over the years. When you look in a mirror, you might see the saggy skin and imperfections that come with age. You might notice a few scars from past surgeries or remnants of a past injury. You might remember your awkwardness or insecurities. All these “less than perfect” things may cause you to feel depressed or ugly or old or sad or stupid. But God looks at you differently. God looks past your tired eyes and sees the fire of faith still burning in your soul. God looks past the scars of past surgeries and injuries to see the hands that wiped the tears of a child as she cried. God looks past your imperfections to see the beauty of your soul, your beautiful soul. God remembers those moments together in prayer, the times you stood up to defend the needy, the arms that held on to a sobbing friend. God still sees potential in you. God still sees the grace in your heart.
For today, quit being so hard on yourself. Let past mistakes go to God. Ask for forgiveness for a past sin and just enjoy the freedom that God’s grace engenders. Just let yourself rejoice in the love of God. God sees so much that’s beautiful in you! Can you, for one day, see yourself as God sees you? Can you for just a few moments in time view your potential from God’s point of view?