In the picture above, we think of the person on the bench who is waiting. We don't know what they're waiting for. But we know that feeling.
What we don't think when we look at that picture is that the sky, the clouds, the water... they're waiting for the person.
But in today's readings, our world gets turned that same way. As humans we are very familiar with the idea of waiting for God. And the Bible is full of verses about that waiting. Isaiah 40:31 says that they who wait on the LORD will renew their strength. The Bible is full of verses that tell us how good it is for us to wait on God.
But in Isaiah 30:18, we read "So the LORD must wait for you to come to Him." And our world is turned upside down, like when we see the pic above as the world waiting for that person.
We realize the great, beautiful, tragic, and wonderful love story that is the universe. God waits for us. He loves us, and in many (most?) cases, he is the unrequited lover. He loves us with a powerful, all consuming, jealous (in the best way), immeasurable love. And he waits. He WAITS for us to love him back.
When you stop and think about the greatest commandment, it makes this unrequited love affair so poignant. God's greatest desire for us... do you remember what Jesus said? "Love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength." When you think of this as a command for YOUR life, it seems like a good thing that sets your priorities in order. And it is.
But think of it from God's perspective. He longs for us. He misses us. He wants us to be with him and to love him with all of our hearts. So much so that he even goes so far as to COMMAND it!
He waits for you, and he says, "Love me."
Thank you, God, for loving us so much. Please help me love you with all my heart.
2 comments:
So true. It's sometimes hard to digest that He commands it. I think when we make good choices...that shows God we love Him.
As a mother of two awesome sons I do somewhat understand the waiting, the loving and the missing. The greatest joy of my life is knowing I will be seeing them and spending time with them. This is only a small example of what God must feel.
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