Jeremiah 31:3
3 The LORD appeared to us in the past, [a] saying:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness.
Isaiah 30:18
18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
Does God romance us? Does He pursue us like a man does a woman? If you had asked me this prior to my “Wild Goose Chase”, I would have said that I wasn’t sure. As I have had time to reflect on my journey’s, the Counselor- the Holy Spirit- the Wild Goose, has brought this idea to the forefront of my mind and heart. In the below verses Jesus tells us that His Spirit will “guide you into all truth”. I think the biggest truth He wants to communicate is that of His love for us! Satan’s biggest lie, I believe, is that God can’t be trusted. This lie is a direct assault on His loving nature for God IS Love! I Corithians 13 communicates it best….
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails.
John 16
The Work of the Holy Spirit
5“Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt[a] in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
12“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
A Prayer for the Ephesians
Ephesians 3
14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom his whole family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
The apostle Paul’s prayer to the church at Ephesus ties it all together. Jesus sent His Spirit to enlighten us to the Heart of God! To help us comprehend His love for us. Yes! He is “drawing us with loving kindness” as the prophet Jeremiah said.
The thought of God as a romancer was introduced to me by John Eldredge- see Reading List for more info. The Holy Spirit has taken this concept and run with it! He has shown me that my journey, My Wild Goose Chase, has really been all about His pursuing and romancing of me. Just as lovers delight in giving each other demonstrations of their love and affection, God has been showering me with acts of lovingkindness! The Psalmist says it so well in Psalm 139
17 How precious to [b] me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.
David is so aware of God’s love! So much so that God refers to him as “a man after His own heart”. This is why it is Satan’s chief desire to attack our hearts and minds- to muddy the waters of the heart with lies about God and His intentions torward us. That God is holding out on us and can’t be trusted. No one is exempt from this lie! We have all bought it at some point and to some extent. Most of us, I dare say, have bought it hook, line and sinker! Even the most learned of bible scholars is vulnerable to the “attack on the heart”. Listen to God’s warning to us…..
Proverbs 4:23
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.
During my time of trials I had taken the bait! Bought the Lie! God was distant and mad at me, punishing me for my sins! His intentions torward me were in question! God’s love was on trial and the prosecuting attorney- Satan, had made a convincing case- to my heart!
Now, I am not one ignorant of God’s word! I have many years of bible training and study under my belt. I tell you this not to boast but to stress that even those trained in the scriptures are vulnerable to Satan’s lie and battle for our hearts. The battle for our perceptions is alive and quite active…
Ephesians 6:12
12 Our fight is not against human beings. It is against the rulers, the authorities and the powers of this dark world. It is against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly world.
I Peter 5
8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
We are given a great example of how to fight Satan’s lies by Jesus….
Matthew 4:1-11
Matthew 4
The Temptation of Jesus
1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[a]”
5Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
” ‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[b]”
7Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[c]”
8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[d]”
11Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
As you can see by verse 11, spiritual warfare takes a toll on us and we need Spiritual healing and restoration. Even Jesus was not exempt but needed angels to restore Him.
In closing, the battle for our hearts is raging! Who we listen to will determine the path we take. We are being romanced by two “suitors”, God- the Father of Life and Satan- the father of lies. To whom are you giving your heart to? Are you taken by the love of God or are you “looking for love in all the wrong places”? The truth is that God’s intentions torward us are good. He loves us more than we can imagine and He desires to walk in relationship with us everyday. I love what Jesus said about the truth in the following verse…
John 8:32
32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
