In the morning of Monday 28 September 2009, I was greeted with some sad news, the kind that troubles the heart: A young lady, who was about 27 years of age, lost her father on Saturday the 26th in the morning and on the same day, in the evening, she lost her husband.
Her husband had a ghastly motor accident. He was drunk-driving. They had been recently married, and she was heavy with child. She lost the two most important men in her life on the same day. Quite irreplaceable! I felt the pain like it was my loss.
As I thought about the news, it brought something, seemingly unrelated, to my mind. It was about God’s response to David on the Bathsheba-Uriah saga. The story about how King David of Israel, in some moment of indiscretion, had a fling with Mrs Uriah. She got pregnant.
In an attempt to cover up his sin, David plotted and successfully got Captain Uriah, her husband, murdered in some seemingly innocuous battlefront. The incident was so profound that it was recorded as the only slur in David’s testimony.
For David had done what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and had obeyed the Lord’s commands throughout his life, except in the affair concerning Uriah the Hittite.
A few weeks earlier, I had read the story in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12 and began meditating on it. I got a perspective that revealed the depth of the love God has for His people. His love remains steadfast even when we go wrong.
That day I felt like I connected with the pain God had felt because of David and the persons involved. To me, it was like God was saying, David, just look at what you have caused yourself and your family.
So why did you ignore the Lord’s command? Why did you do what he says is wrong? You killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and took his wife to be your wife! Now there will always be people in your family who will die by the sword…
If God did not care, He would not have bothered in the first place. Instead, He would have said, Serves the randy fellow right. He thinks because he is the king, he can do anything he likes. Let him face the music. Rather, it was love responding.
Love was hurt because the object of His love was now going to be the object of avoidable harm. I thought of the kind of hurt God felt when I myself went against His word.
How do we respond when a person falls into sin? There was a time in the body of Christ when if a brother or sister fell into sin or went out of fellowship, and it came to the ears of the Church, brethren would be heartbroken. They would take up prayers for his restoration with tears. That was love in action. 1 Corinthians 13:6 says, Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil.” Love is not happy when things wrong (NCV).
In my younger years in the faith, there was a time that I backslid. When I repented, I got to learn that some brethren had been praying for me. Of particular note is a brother called Eric who did not relent in his prayers for my restoration. Galatians 6:1-3 really did have some meaning.
Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important (NLT).
I am reminded that God is not happy at the death of anyone. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise as some count slackness but is longsuffering towards us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
When God instructs us to keep His word, to a large extent, He is trying to protect us from the destructive effects of sin. His love for us makes it difficult for Him to bear our hurt. He is not trying to keep us from pleasure or profit as many tend to assume, but to protect us.
God led me to send this text message to someone: “The Lord is saying to you that His love for you is not diminished and that His promises to you would not fail.” God’s love for us never diminishes, and it neither changes nor comes to an end. God’s love for us is awesome. Always consider that if you are hurt, God feels your hurt.
When the Bible says that God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son and that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life, we see the depth of that love in practical terms.
Because of His love, God chose to protect us from death, death of an eternal nature, and then He goes further to make life eternal available for free. He bore the cost through the ultimate sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ.
I do not know how you may have responded to God’s love, which He demonstrated through Christ, but He says that if you would only believe and receive Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you would be saved from sin and eternal death.
Friend, if you have not done so, make today your day of decision for a new life in Christ. It is time to respond to God’s love for you by receiving His love and committing to loving Him in return.
Thank you. Do not forget to keep living, loving and learning!
References: 1 Kings 15:5 –NLT; 2 Samuel 12:9-10, NCV; -2 Peter 3:9-10, NKJV; John 3:16-17.
Do you have a feedback on this blog? Please write it in the comment box below. Thank you.