If I may, I would like to impart a word I read that has had a profound impact in the way I view God's need for us. It is my prayer that it will have the same impact and changing power to others that it had on me. It came from the book "
The Divine Embrace" by Ken Gire-- a wonderful writer.
May hearts be changed here, Father. That they may see the personal, powerful, passionate love you have for us. May people be drawn into Your divine embrace. Speak to us Father.
I will let what he has to say speak for itself:
"I have told you what I know. Now I'm going to tell you more than I know. I believe it to be true, even though I don't understand it, in the same way I believe that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, but I don't understand that either. I have an only son, whom I love dearly, and I can't imagine giving him up for anyone, let alone for a world full of strangers. Here's what I don't understand but believe to be true:
In some way, Jesus needs our love.
It makes me uneasy to talk about Jesus needing
anything, especially anything from us. It makes him a little
too human, perhaps, and that makes us theologically uncomfortable. I understand. I once felt that way myself. If you feel that way, I ask that you put those feelings aside for a moment and follow my reasoning.
In
Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me." When I first read that verse, I thought of fellowship with Jesus as a meal he served, and I just showed up at the table and ate what was offered, I would walk away warmed and filled."
He goes on to talk about how we view our quiet times with Christ, which I will leave out.
"Jesus says: The trouble is that you have been thinking of the quiet time, of Bible study and prayers, as a means for your own spiritual growth. This is true, but you have forgotten that this time means something to me also. Remember, I love you. At a great cost I have redeemed you. I value your fellowship. Just to have you look up into my face warms my heart. Don't neglect this hour if only for my sake. Whether or not you want to be with me, remember I want to be with you. I really love you!
Here is my reasoning. That time together is for both of us. I will dine
with him, Jesus said, and he
with me. It is a shared meal, not a solitary one. If we don't show up for the meal, he goes away hungry. There is an emptiness in him that only you can fill. And one that only I can fill. Realizing that, I suddenly feel guilt for all the times he has hungered for my company and I wasn't there to give it. But then I look into his eyes, and I realize something else.
He doesn't want us to feel guilty.
He wants us to feel in love.
He
needs us to feel in love.
Jesus has gone ahead of us to prepare a place for us, but if we don't show up, there will be no honeymoon. A wedding feast has been prepared for us, too, but if we don't come, there will be no celebration. He can love us without our loving him back, but if we don't love him back, his joy is not made full. And in that sense, he needs our love.
One resplendent day, his love for us and ours for him will be celebrated in heaven. A feast, we are told, awaits us there. Meanwhile, here on earth, Jesus shares with us a table set for two.
When I imagine what it would be like sitting across the table from the Lord Jesus himself, another scene from the film
Les Miserables comes to mind. Jean Valjean visits the recovering Fantine, who has been bathed and dressed by an attending nun. When the nun brings her a bowl of soup, Fantine smiles at Valjean and says, "What about
you? Don't
you eat?"
The next scene is outside in the fresh air, where Valjean has set a table for two. On the table is wine, bread, fruit, cheese, and meat. After carrying Fantine to her chair, Valjean drapes a quilt around her shoulders. His hand brushes across hers as he takes a knife and slices off a wedge of cheese for her. The look in Fantine's eyes as she gazes into his, brimming at the awareness of her unworthiness for his love, is such a holy moment that you can't help but sigh.
Jesus longs for times like that with us. To drape a quilt around our shoulders. To brush his hand against ours. To gaze into our eyes. And to have us gaze into his. There are words he longs to say to you and to me. And words he longs to hear from us. This is our food and our drink, our daily bread and cup of wine.
It is also
his.
Our words of love are his daily bread. Our brimming eyes, his cup of wine.
But he longs for more than that. He longs not just to dine but to dance.
He wants us to be more than a companion. He wants us to be his partner.
That is why he moves our chair, and with the offer of his hand, draws us into the divine embrace."
Oh, my love, my darling,
I hunger for your touch...
I need your love.
I need your love.
God speed your love to me.
The Righteous Brothers, "Unchained Melody"
Jesus loves you.
Thanks for this precious reminder!
