Redeeming Love

In six days, I will be leaving for Camp La Vida. I'm overjoyed about this opportunity. It's gonna be amazing. Sidenote: pray that I'll have the patience to deal with campers all week long. Kids aren't my forte...so, I pray that this will go well. Lord, give me strength. I'm gonna need it.

But when I found out, I literally went running around the house, jumping up and down, screaming my head off. My dog gave me one of her quizzical looks and put her head back down. It's her way of saying, "I have no idea what the crap you're doing, but note that you look like a complete and total idiot." Yeah...I have a deep connection with my dog.

Seriously though, I'm really excited. I have to admit that one thing I'm not overjoyed about is that I've been slacking in my relationship with God. There's been an apathy and...dare I say...boredom which I'm not too proud of. There's been a lot of anger on my part these past few weeks as a response to other people which is another thing I'm not very proud of. There are a lot of things I have and haven't done in these past few weeks that I'm not proud of at all.

But...I have to say that God's love has touched me once again in an unsuspecting way. And this time, it's taken the form of a redeeming love...a grace-filled love. I've started reading through the Psalms, and that's what I'm going to be doing this summer.

I really want to share two passages with you that I read because God was saying, "I hear you, beloved. I hear you. Do you hear Me? Are you even listening for My voice? I have never walked away from you. You keep stepping away from Me. Put on humility. Put on love."

Psalm 6
O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor chasten me in Your wrath.
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am pining away;
Heal me, O Lord, for my bones are dismayed
And my soul is greatly dismayed;
But You, O Lord - how long?

Return, O Lord, rescue my soul
Save me because of Your lovingkindness.
For there is no mention of You in death;
In Sheol who will give You thanks?

I am weary with my sighing;
Every night I make my bed swim,
I dissolve my couch with my tears.
My eye has wasted away with grief;
It has become old because of all my adversaries.

Depart from me, all you who do iniquity,
For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping
The Lord has heard my supplication,
The Lord receives my prayer
All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed;
They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed.



Psalm 9:16-20
The Lord has made Himself known;
He has executed judgment.
In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared.

The wicked will return to Sheol,
Even all the nations who forget God.
For the needy will not always be forgotten,
Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.

Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be judged by You.
Put them in fear, O Lord;
Let the nations know that they are but men.

I think my favorite part of this is the last line. I fell asleep thinking about that. "Let the nations know that they are but men." We are human. We are flawed. Who are we compared to God? Humbling, isn't it? Even though we are flawed, and we are nothing compared to Him, He will not forget the needy or the afflicted. He will not forget us.

What a redeeming love...a magnificent love.