One day, I woke early in the morning to watch the sunrise. Ah the beauty of
God's creation is beyond description. As I watched, I praised God for His
beautiful work. As I sat there, I felt the Lord's presence with me. He asked me,
"Do you love me?"
I answered, "Of course, God! You are my Lord and Saviour!"
Then He asked, "If you were physically handicapped, would you still love me?"
I was perplexed. I looked down upon my arms, legs and the rest of my body and
wondered how many things I wouldn't be able to do the things that I took for
granted. And I answered, "It would be tough Lord, but I would still love you. "
Then the Lord said, "If you were blind, would you still love my creation?"
How could I love something without being able to see it? Then I thought of all
the blind people in the world and how many of them still loved God and His
creation. So I answered, "It’s hard to think of it, but I would still love you."
The Lord then asked me, "If you were deaf, would you still listen to my word?"
How could I listen to anything being deaf? Then I understood. Listening to God's
Word is not merely using our ears, but our hearts. I answered, "It would be
tough, but I would still listen to Your word."
The Lord then asked, "If you were mute, would you still praise My Name?"
How could I praise without a voice? Then it occurred to me: God wants us to sing
from our very heart and soul. It never matters what we sound like. And praising
God is not always with a song, but when we are persecuted, we give God praise
with our words of thanks. So I answered, "Though I could not physically sing, I
would still praise Your Name.
And the Lord asked, "Do you really love Me?" With courage and a strong
conviction, I answered boldly, "Yes Lord! I love You because You are the one and
true God!"
I thought I had answered well, but God asked, "THEN WHY DO YOU SIN?"
I answered, "Because I am only human. I am not perfect."
"THEN WHY IN TIMES OF PEACE DO YOU STRAY THE FURTHEST? WHY ONLY IN TIMES OF
TROUBLE DO YOU PRAY THE EARNEST?"
No answers. Only tears.
The Lord continued: "Why only sing at fellowships and retreats? Why seek Me only
in times of worship? Why ask things so selfishly? Why ask things so
unfaithfully?"
The tears continued to roll down my cheeks .
"Why are you ashamed of Me? Why are you not spreading the good news? Why in
times of persecution, you cry to others when I offer My shoulder to cry on? Why
make excuses when I give you opportunities to serve in My Name?"
I tried to answer, but there was no answer to give.
"You are blessed with life. I made you not to throw this gift away. I have
blessed you with talents to serve Me, but you continue to turn away. I have
revealed My Word to you, but you do not gain in knowledge. I have spoken to you
but your ears were closed. I have shown My blessings to you, but your eyes were
turned away. I have sent you servants, but you sat idly by as they were pushed
away. I have heard your prayers and I have answered them all." "DO YOU TRULY
LOVE ME?"
I could not answer. How could I? I was embarrassed beyond belief. I had no
excuse. What could I say to this? When I my heart had cried out and the tears
had flowed, I said. "Please forgive me Lord. I am unworthy to be Your child."
The Lord answered, "That is My Grace, My child."
I asked, "Then why do you continue to forgive me? Why do You love me so?"
The Lord answered, "Because you are My creation. You are my child. I will never
abandon you. When you cry, I will have compassion and cry with you. When you
shout with joy, I will laugh with you. When you are down, I will encourage you.
When you fall, I will raise you up. When you are tired, I will carry you. I will
be with you till the end of days, And I will love you forever."
Never had I cried so hard before. How could I have been so cold? How could I
have hurt God as I had done? I asked God, "How much do You love me?"
The Lord stretched out His arms, and I saw His nail-pierced hands. I bowed down
at the feet of Christ, my Saviour. And for the first time, I truly prayed.
Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please
authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances
dictate.
Thanks to Daren Bullock
daren@youthpages.org
YouthPAGES http://www.youthpages.org
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.