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Exploring
the concept of desire has been an intriguing journey for me. The image of God's
passion has grown to thrill my heart with the pondering of his pursuit of me.
"You are
precious and special in my sight, and I love you . . ." Isaiah 43:
We've
explored the WHY of God's pursuit of us; the root being Love. I say 'explore'
because I don't think we will ever reach fulfillment of understanding. The
pondering of this absurd and glorious truth can exhaust eternity.
Over
the past several days a parallel image has sharpened as well; the persistent,
competing force of the enemy.
"The
enemy said, I will chase, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, and my
desire will be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, my hand will destroy
them." Exodus 15:9
The
next obvious question is the WHY of the enemy's interest in us? What does this
hideous, powerful, creator of evil want with me? With his minions of
spirit-servants and generations of humans willing to wreak havoc on his behalf
to God's good earth and people, why does he bother with me?
There
are the Sunday School answers:
He
is bent to thwart God's plan of salvation.
His
pride drives him to destroy any and all God has created.
He
hates God and anything and anyone God loves.
Satan
is jealous of me.
He
is jealous of my grandmother, gone to Heaven in 1996. He is jealous of my godly
mother, gone since 2006. He is jealous of my son who lives for Jesus and my
unborn grandson who has yet to choose whose pursuit he will accept.
Satan
is jealous of you.
He
is jealous of the beauty of simple faith, of a believing heart. He is jealous
of the affections that flow between the Creator and possessor of all beauty to
his children.
Consider
the contrast:
God
burns with a holy jealousy for those he does not need but intensely desires.
"For the
LORD your God is a consuming fire; he is a jealous God." Deuteronomy
4:24
"Be sober
and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking
for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8
Let's
be careful here to keep firm to God's truth. These images may be parallel, but
they are not equal. God will prevail.
"He rescued
me from my strong enemy, from those who hate me, for they were too strong for
me." Psalm
18:17
"I
continually look to the LORD for help, for he will free my feet from the
enemy's net."
Psalm 25:15
"He
delivered them from the power of the one who hated them, and rescued them from
the power of the enemy." Psalm 106:10
The
enemy is not up to the task in which he is engaged! He will claw and tear in a
jealous rage for our hearts, but Jesus has purchased the one-way ticket that
binds us to him forever.
Lover of my
soul, thank you for the warnings in your Word. Help me stay alert to this enemy
that would have me forget your love and the power it brings. Even more, help me
remain focused on your passion for me. Help me see your love more and more
clearly. Free me from the snares of the enemy that keep me from reflecting your
desire to those in my world. Amen.
- Sonia Sundberg
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