Gracious God

"You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.” ~Psalm 27:8


Oh my, God has shown me such great things about who He is recently. One of the things that stood out this week while reading the Word was how gracious He is! Seriously, Jesus is so amazingly gracious to us. We deserve death, yet through Jesus we get life.

Just thinking about what He has done, but more so who He is takes my breath away. Not only did God create me, but He knows me. He knows everything about me – from my biggest fear, to what makes me tick, to my greatest dreams (which are nothing compared to His plan for me), to what makes me smile, to the number of hairs on my head – He knows everything about me. But God doesn't stop at just knowing me. Oh no, despite all my flaws, He loves me. He. Loves. Me. That in itself is breathtaking, but because we serve a mighty, gracious, and good God, Jesus also saves me. He came down. He left His throne in heaven to live a life that I cannot live, a life without sin. Then died a painful and excruciating death so that I MIGHT CHOOSE to accept it. Who does that? Who gives up everything for someone who very well could spend their whole life denying them? Jesus does. Jesus did that very thing and I am so thankful He did, so that I could spend eternity with Him. Jesus is so magnificent (this seems like such a mediocre word to describe Him) that He doesn't just want us to live an eternal life, but He wants me. He wants a relationship with me. Wow!

But it doesn't end there. God then allows me to know Him. It's one thing for God to know me. After all, He did create me and then die so that I may live. But the fact that He would allow me a glimpse of who He is, is astounding (can you tell I have no words to really describe the magnitude of this). I have nothing and I am nothing without Him, yet He still shows me His heart. He takes me deeper into His Spirit, closer to His heart. I have no words. I am left in awe. And I pray that this truth never stops taking my breath away.

God is good. It's been on my mind recently all that I'm giving up and sacrificing to move to Uganda next year – relationships, my job, comforts, independence, etc. However, we don't really sacrifice much while serving Him. For everything we are, everything we have is from Him. When we follow God he gives us himself if we seek Him out. He is so much greater than anything we may give up. On the other hand, He sacrificed EVERYTHING so that I may know Him and make Him known. Oh, how I want to know Him more. How I want you to know Him. He did not do this just for me, but He did this for you as well! Like I said before, God is gracious to us. He gives us more than we deserve. He gives us more than we could even imagine. He gives us a relationship with Himself!