IHOP Atlanta

Over the last month I have been asking the Lord to give me confidence in prayer as a son.  Correspondingly, He has begun to open up Hebrews 10 to me, and it has been powerful for my heart. 

The chapter starts out showing us our depravity on our own and that our sins cannot be taken away by sacrifices performed over and over again.  The writer of Hebrews goes on to describe to us that it has always been the Father’s desire to have fellowship with us and to do so by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all.  So the Father wants fellowship with us, and He wants it so much that He graciously gives us His Son. Behold what manner of love the Father has lavished on us that we would be called children of God!  The writer continues, saying that priests repeatedly offer sacrifices that cannot take away sins, and then he goes on to tell us that we have been perfected forever by one offering (Heb. 10:14).  Have you ever wanted to be perfect? Well by faith in the blood of Jesus, you are.  We stand perfect before God by the one sacrifice of Jesus right now as He makes us holy. 
As the writer continues, we find out that our sins and our lawless deeds God remembers no more (Heb. 10:17, Psa. 103 :12).  Our sins are no longer remembered, and He has perfected us forever.  Therefore let us come and pray with boldness and confidence.  Let us draw near with true hearts in full assurance of faith that the Father wants us near to Him. He says our voice is sweet and our face is lovely (Song of Solomon 2:14).  Oh the joy of praying to God who is seeking us, of praying to Jesus who is longing for us!  God enjoys it when we worship Him and when we pray to Him, for He has desired this from before the foundation of the earth (Eph. 1:3).  So let us pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without anger or disputing, for the Father is seeking us to come and worship before Him in spirit and in truth (1 Tim 2:8, John 4:23-24).

“Listen, o daughter, consider and give ear. Forget the people of your father’s house. The king is enthralled by Your beauty. Honor him, for he is your lord.” -Psalm 45:10-11

We have a not-so-secret admirer. But, not just any admirer. This admirer is the King! Jesus is madly in love with us. And our lover’s love towards us is better than life. We have a lover that will never forsake us. One that we can share our deepest thoughts with. He desires to be with us. He longs to bring us into the wilderness where it’s just him and us. This is our beloved. But, our beloved is not just a nice guy, he’s the kindest one of all. If a king falls in love with a girl, he will do anything to have her as a bride. He will not let the enemy get in the way of love. He is jealous for us.

But why is he jealous for us? We are poor, blind and lowly. We are all sinners. God could create a perfect bride, but he chose us to be the bride. Revelation 19 states that His eyes are like a flame of fire. He burns with passion for us. Still, what does he see when he looks at us? I believe he doesn’t look on the outside, he looks on the inside. He doesn’t look at our needy state, but he looks where no one else sees. The deepest parts of us is where he sees us. Some may seem to be saying “yes” to God on the outside, but that is not what He is after. By on the outside, I mean that we may feed the poor and help the homeless and heal the sick, but we can do all of that without loving God and without intimacy with him. (1Cor. 13:2-3 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.) He looks for the “yes” in the inside, the “yes” that says that we don’t want to do anything but sit before Him and listen to His voice.

It’s like Mary and Martha. John 12:2-3 says, “Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” Martha wanted to cook and clean for Jesus, but Mary just sat at His feet. Mary had true intimacy with Jesus. Jesus also loved Martha, but Mary had captured Jesus’ heart with her affections. Jesus loved Martha, too. But he would rather be with you than watch you do work for him. He doesn’t want us to think we are his slaves. He wants us to know we are his bride. He wants us to be alive in love in every word and deed.

The Shulamite (a shepherdess) in Song of Solomon is a great picture of the bride, and Solomon is a picture of the Bridegroom, Jesus. King Solomon was in love with a shepherdess. I believe it’s a faint representation of Jesus’ love for us. It seems unusual that a king falls in love with a sheep herder. It’s amazing that Jesus would fall in love with someone like us. In Song of Solomon, King Solomon falls in love with the Shulamite, and the Shulamite returns his love. They are both in love with each other. Song of Solomon 2:14 says, “My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.” He wants to see her. He calls her out of hiding. He can’t stand not seeing her. He doesn’t want to be without hearing her voice. In the same way Jesus loves us and desires to hear our voice and see our face.

Father, cause us to listen to your voice, to fulfill your desire to see our faces. Lock us into your gaze. Help us understand your love is incomparable and your pursuit of us is unstoppable. We honor you, for you are our Lord.

In Jesus Name,

Amen