I Was Loved
A friend of mine dying of cancer wrote the following words last night:
“looking for an immediate rescue from my painful circumstances, and yet it is often these pains that are expanding my heart to search and find the presence of the God, who is my closest companion and eternal Savior”
As a caregiver in the past, who lost his wife to cancer, I of course felt this kind of painful circumstance acutely at times.
One of the things in Scripture that has helped me a lot is to realize how certain verses can apply to me personally when dealing with grief and sorrow. Part of a verse I read this morning reads like this:
“Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you” (Joshua 1:3)
As a Christian, I am finding that besides the literal ground, not occupied for Christ, there is also the often unclaimed territory of the un-trodden land of divine promise. Thats why, I think, God said this to Joshua. “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, THAT I have given to you.” And then God drew the outlines of the land of promise, and said it is all yours, on one condition. That you shall measure it off using your own feet, by walking completely through the whole length and breadth of the promised land.
But the people then never did that to more than about one-third of all that property, and as a result they never had more than just one third. They had only what they measured off, and no more.
In Hebrews 11:9 we hear about the “land of promise,” that God always opens up to us. I have come to see it as God’s will that we should, as it were, also measure off THAT territory by the “feet” of trusting faith, and believing obedience (to His call). And in Jesus, claiming and appropriating ALL of God’s promises for our very own “territory.” And that is such a vast, beautiful land to explore with our own two feet!
As we search for the presence of God in our suffering, our grief, we can take possession of God’s promises. What a magnificent “territory” for faith to hold on to and then march right on through the length and breadth of, yet in my struggles, my faith has rarely done it yet.
Let us each enter into all of our inheritance. Let us lift up our eyes in all four directions, and start to measure this “land” by our own two feet, and then rejoice as we hear Him say:
“All the land that you see, I will give to you.”
I once read a beautiful Christian quote that goes like this:
“We should NOW acquaint ourselves with God by proving His promises.” (GC 622)
And surely, as my late wife was dying, as I roiled in acute grief, I remember finding a special promise for every single need that arose out of our sometimes very dire circumstance.
Friends, we are given a very special assurance about God’s promises in His Word:
God made great and marvelous promises, so that his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our unhelpful desires and the corrupt influences of this world. [that all in the cancer world would certainly know about]. (2 Pet 1:4)
The power to lead a godly life comes from God. Because we don’t have the resources to be truly godly, God allows us to “share his divine nature” in order to keep us from sin and help us live for him. When we are born again, God by his Spirit empowers us with his own goodness. See John 1:12,John 3:6; John 14:17-23; 2 Cor 5:21; and 1 Pet 1:22-23.
God’s promises gave both my late wife and I a place to rest. A wonderful new land of possibilities to explore together. A new land where we did not have fear or pain. I remember she had been comatose for a week or so, yet when I asked her one day
“if you only had one thing you could say to me “before you go” what would it be sweetie?”
And to my absolute shock and amazement, she sat right up in her bed, she smiled that big cute smile that I loved, and said in a voice too loud for someone ‘as sick as her”
“I WAS LOVED.”
She never spoke another word after that, and she died in my arms shortly after. We still “meet” from time to time as I make periodic forays into that bright, beautiful, verdant “territory” of God’s promise about the resurrection. (1 Thes 4:12-18)
I know that when she was with me that she loved to travel to that place, and measure it off by talking about how wonderful it will be when the resurrection finally happens. She would “measure the whole territory” off by walking me through all of her thoughts about the amazing things she “saw,” and was so looking forward to.
I have to say in conclusion now, that whenever I have measured off the territory of God’s promises with my own two feet, I have always come away from the situation at hand exclaiming:
“I was loved.”
In verity, wherever Judah should set his foot that should be his! Wherever Benjamin should set his foot, that should be his! Each person reading this today should get their personal inheritance by actually setting their own foot upon it. Everyone should take this verse and put their own name into it! Now, think you not, when either had set his foot upon a given territory, he did not instantly and instinctively feel, “This is mine”?
During the endtimes that we are entering now, this is exactly how God’s people will “go in” and each enter their own promise land of God’s promises. There will be no other way to survive it all. The course of God’s people should be upward and onward to victory. A greater than Joshua is leading on the armies of Israel. One is in our midst, even JESUS, the Captain of our salvation, who has said for our encouragement,
“Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” He will lead us on to certain victory. What God promises, He is able at any time to perform. And the work He gives His people to do, He is able to accomplish by them. (Testimonies, vol. 2, p. 122).
I have been asked: “well, David, why is it that you seem to have so much peace and joy in “your religion?”” And I can only reply:
“I just walk into my promised land and measure out with my own two feet, the promise of the resurrection. And praise God, I have ALL that is in THAT promise! I feel rich, beyond measure! And now I have lived experience that has shown how I can “measure out” that divine promise by my own two feet across the entire length and breadth of it knowing how that ALL of the riches this “precious promise” brings is mine.”
NOW I wake up every day thinking:
“I was loved.”
Today, I continue to explore this promised land, measuring God’s promises, and am so blessed to know God is leading me once more to that territory where He has promised rest, quietness, confidence, in the gift of someone to love. He is amazing! Our God is an awesome God!
Thank you Jesus.
PS
After I wrote this article, and shared with my friend in another province who is dying of cancer, he sent me the following poem:
David, here are some great thoughts of comfort in a poem. You will love the last verse!
I Only Know I’m Loved
’When I say, “I am a Christian”
I’m not shouting, “I’ve been saved!”
I’m whispering, “I get lost sometimes
That’s why I chose this way”
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I don’t speak with human pride
I’m confessing that I stumble –
needing God to be my guide
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I’m not trying to be strong
I’m professing that I’m weak
and pray for strength to carry on
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I’m not bragging of success
I’m admitting that I’ve failed
and cannot ever pay the debt
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I don’t think I know it all
I submit to my confusion
asking humbly to be taught
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I’m not claiming to be perfect
My flaws are far too visible
but God believes I’m worth it
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartache
which is why I seek God’s name
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I do not wish to judge
I have no authority
I only know I’m loved’
Carol Wimmer 1988