Letting God Love You

There’s something that’s been rolling around in my head for a couple of weeks that became concrete this morning as I read the gospel of Matthew. I have been thinking that one of the biggest roadblocks we have to faith is that we don’t let God love us. Not the way he wants. We want to work for His love because that is the only kind of love we have ever experienced. That working – the lack of just freely accepting His love – is one of our greatest follies.

This became clear to me in the words of Jesus to the people of Jerusalem from Matthew 23:37; “How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” 

Why were they not willing to be gathered under the wings of their God? For the same reason that many of us aren’t; we’re too busy in our pursuit of God. We want to practice religion, to establish a relationship with God by our working, tithing, learning, trying, striving, praying, fasting, worshipping and so on. We cannot accept that free gift of God because we so dearly desire to earn it, as did the Jews of Jerusalem. We establish walls around doctrines and rules and regulations which we staunchly defend, even as the Jewish leaders did.

In the first half of the verse (Matthew 23:37) Jesus says, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!” Likewise, in our zeal to pursue God, we ‘kill’ prophets and stone God’s messengers, as did the Pharisees. God’s love is light, and light reveals the darkness in us. It threatens us because “people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”(John 3:19-20 ESV) Entering into relationship with God involves letting our guard down, being willing to accept the light – being open to allowing Him to love us despite the darkness within us. It is ultimate vulnerability.

The really glorious thing about this vulnerability to God is that He will never abuse it. Being vulnerable to God is the safest thing we can do. It allows us to stop kidding ourselves about the darkness in ourselves and remain within the light that ultimately drives the darkness from us. “…God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”(1 John 1:5-7 ESV)

Jerusalem was full of darkness as Jesus spoke these words. But the light had come into the world. And soon he would be lifted up as tangible proof of God’s love for His people. He is still tangible proof of God’s love today. Being saved is not as simple as confession of sins, the seeking of forgiveness of sins, or saying some words. Being saved is allowing God to love you through the ultimate act of love – Calvary. You are His child. Be gathered under the safety of His wings. Come into the light.

God Bless