He came forward.

They came with lanterns.  Certain He was hiding himself in the darkest corners of the garden on this blackest of nights.  He had to know they were after His life.

They came with weapons.  Expecting inevitable resistance from His followers if not from Him. Their fingers itched to have Him bound and taken to trial.  Then He would see who was really in charge.

But how wonderfully they were mistaken.  They stopped dead in their tracks.

He did not hide. Even though He fully and perfectly knew all that was about to happen to Him.  Even though He had just moments before been near death itself as He stared into the cup He was about to drink.  Even though He cried to the Father two times for an alternative and heard nothing but silence from heaven.  The most agonizing night.  And the greatest agony to come in merely hours.

He did not flee.  He came forward.  Though He staggered in His soul, contemplating the work He had to do.  He perfectly obeyed His Father.  He loved Him.  He was faithful to do what He had to do in order to fulfill the plan of redemption They had made together before time began. He knew His hour had come. 

He came forward. Because He loved sinners.

He did not resist.  The obedient Son asked the soldiers who they were seeking.  When they shouted His name, He came forward and said He was the One they were looking for. They did not even have to search. 

Before the men could even seize Him, they fell to the ground.  Astonished.  What? Who IS this man?  His very words made them tremble.  They could not even remain standing.

Again, He asked them who they sought. Again told them that He was the One they were after.  Once the soldiers made it to their feet again, they bound Him and led Him to face it.  Man's greatest act of injustice in all of history.  Yet God's greatest display of justice and mercy for all the world for all of time.   The cross.

Who was this Man that willingly handed Himself over to certain death? Certain wrath? The greatest human suffering possible?  Unimaginable pain and separation?  The horror and shame of the cross?

Who was He?

The only Man who was stronger than death.  The Man who was God himself in the flesh. 

The Man who saw our need. And gave Himself to be our Savior. Died in weakness, rose again in power. To be our peace. Our righteousness. Our HOPE.

And the only One who can save me.  The only One who can save you.

He is Jesus Christ.

Let us worship and be amazed.

He was willing to go to the cross.  He is willing to save sinners still!

What a Savior!

knowing? or being known?

"What matters supremely, therefore, is not, in the last analysis, the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it --

the fact that He knows me.

I am graven on the palms of His hands.

I am never out of His mind.

All my knowledge of Him depends on His sustained initiative in knowing me.

I know Him, because He first knew me, and continues to know me.

He knows me as a friend, one who loves me; and there is no moment when His eye is off me, or His attention distracted from me, and no moment, therefore, when His care falters.

This is a momentous knowledge.

There is unspeakable comfort -- that sort of comfort that energises, be it said, not enervates -- in knowing that God is constantly taking knowledge of me in love, and watching over me for my good.

There is tremendous relief in knowing that His love to me is utterly realistic, based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery now can disillusion Him about me, in the way I am so often disillusioned about myself, and quench His determination to bless me.

There is, certainly, great cause for humility in the thought that He sees all the twisted things about me that my fellow-men do not see (and I am glad!), and that He sees more corruption in me than that which I see in myself (which, in all conscience, is enough).

There is, however, equally great incentive to worship and love God in the thought that, for some unfathomable reason, He wants me as His friend, and desires to be my friend, and has given His Son to die for me in order to realise this purpose."

-J. I. Packer Knowing God

Photo by Stuck in Customs

Paul's Prayer for the Ephesians

Covenant Life Church of Gaithersburg, Maryland is currently doing a sermon series on the book of Ephesians. I have been listening to them on Sundays via podcast, and I must say they have been very helpful and a great blessing. I have even been working on memorizing Ephesians 1. This past sunday, I listened to Jeff Purswell's excellent message on Eph. 1:15-23. I just wanted to share some of my notes on Paul's prayer. In his prayer, he asks God to deepen the Ephesians' knowledge of Him, and that the Spirit of wisdom and revelation would continue to work in their hearts. Here are 3 ways Mr. Purswell points out that God reveals Himself to His children:

(These are my notes from the sermon, hence they are not quotes, but not my words either.)
1. The hope of His calling (v. 18) - If you are a believer, you are called! You have a glorious hope! (1 Cor. 2:9 "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him"). Lord, show us what awaits! Life forever in Your presence! On that day we will see how every single second in our lives worked to our good! "When our hope lies ahead, our lives will follow." The Spirit produces this hope in our hearts. Let us pray for more of this hope!

2. The riches of His inheritance - (Deut. 4:20 "But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of His own inheritance, as you are this day.") WE are GOD'S treasured possession! And it is all because of God's choosing, calling, and redemption. Not by any merits of our own. But rather in spite of our demerits! God has loved us! He has chosen sinners as His treasure! I am His and He is mine! This is the noblest and highest calling.

3. The greatness of His power (v. 19) - What is this greatness of God like? Look at v. 20. The power at work in us is the very same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead! We are new creatures in Christ! There is no power so great but Christ is above it ALL! Therefore we have nothing to fear. God's power is greater than all our uncertainties.


Let Paul's prayer and desire be that of our own hearts! Oh that we might know our Lord as we ought!

By Your Side

Why are you striving these days?
Why are you trying to earn grace?
Why are you crying?
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away.

Why are you looking for love?
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough?
To where will you go, child?
Tell me, where will you run?
To where will you run?

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you.
My hands are holding you.

Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life.
I want to give you life.

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you.
My hands are holding you.

Cause I, I love you.
I want you to know.
That I, I love you.
I'll never let you go.


- "By Your Side" by Tenth Avenue North -

I fell in love with this song before the first stanza ended. A truly beautiful picture of the Father's deep love and care for His wandering and wayward children. I love how the third verse so clearly points to the greatest display of God's love - the cross. Come, let us worship and bow down before Him!

His love will never let me go.