4/23/2021 – Day 341 – Song of Solomon- Asked to choose the single most moving testimony of God’s unfathomable love for us that I have heard in my lifetime, I think I would choose this one:
I might qualify that on an event that happened in our lifetime. For if we are talking of all of human history, it is the cross of course! But Nancy and I heard this testimony from Brennan Manning one night to open our renewal conference at First Presbyterian Church in Houston, back around 1994. It literally brought me to tears of joy. Without further adieu, I share it with you now, click on the link just below:
What isn’t mentioned here that I saw , is what Jesus told Yolanda is right out of Song of Solomon 2: verses 10 through 13. So , when I provide the 2nd post on Song of Solomon, an overview and an intro, we can say it is an amazing steamy love story involving : 1) Solomon and his favorite wife out of 700 or so; (2) any bride and groom that has God at the center of their relationship ; and/or (3) an allegory of Christ’s love for His bride the church. But what about (4)?: Christ’s love for us as unique souls intertwined with Him.
As I have noted before, we speak of His unfathomable power when we view the stars from one of the most powerful telescopes ever. But, His love is just unfathomable. As Tim Keller notes in his book: “Jesus The King”, the Triune God : Father , Son and Holy Spirit have been circling around each other in perfect agape love forever, that is no beginning. And then Jesus dropped into history in the Incarnation – “Emmanuel” – God with us. And He puts himself on a cross in our place, so that we might live with Him forever. And the Father’s love goes completely dark on Him for the first time ever! God didn’t need us. I don’t know how anyone could make up such a story.
I think I shared with y’all the story at the same First Presbyterian around the same time frame as Brennan Manning’s testimony, we were in a discussion group in a 90 day read through the Bible looking at Job. And one brother commented on the end of the book with: “Look at Job, God restored Him with even greater blessings and wealth than before. He lost me there on the celebratory nature of the event. I thought if I had lost one child as Job lost all his children, I don’t care if God gave me 100 children of the most God fearing, most lovable children I could ever have imagined, it could not replace the loss in this life of just one of my children, a rascal at that, earlier in my married life. So, as a flawed sinful man: If I have a capacity for such love, do you think we can even begin to fathom God’s infinite capacity for non-wavering immutable perfect love? Good luck with that as they say! As I noted earlier, I don’t think that will even materialize in heaven. As I stated, it is a good thing we have all of eternity to get to know God, for that is how long it will take us!
Soli Deo Gloria! Always connected by His grace!
Love,
Jimmy