Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; 

All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. (Psalm 42:7)

The scriptures self proclaim their inspiration. This doesn’t mean that they are merely uplifting. Inspiration means God breathed, which implies there is more than just a credible history of God in scripture. This means the scriptures are coded with God’s DNA and must be compatible with us, who were made into God’s image and also animated by God’s breath. At some level we have a deep affinity with God’s Word. The depths of God’s Word call unto our own depths. God’s Word can awaken eternal realities within us. If we will look, we will find ourselves in the scriptures. That should be an adequate primer for our pop quiz: Which of the following descriptor(s) of God is the least compatible with the others? God is: a) omniscient b) omnipotent c) holy d) omnipresent e) emotional or d) sovereign? If you chose “e,” you are in good company.

How conscious are we that the God who spoke galaxies into existence also has feelings? If God has emotions, what are they and what triggers them?

As He entered Bethany, Jesus was met by some who believed He was the Messiah and by others who did not. Sadly though, both groups were of the opinion that the One who could have done something about this tragedy hadn’t. This only added to the pain of His followers. Is this sounding familiar? The tears of believers can double in volume since their God, who can prevent the pain, often doesn’t. When this happens, our only consolation is that: “Jesus wept.

While it is short, this sentence reveals that our God weeps with usmaking it one of the most powerful of all revelations about Him. What disturbed Jesus so deeply, eventually causing Him to cry was His acute awareness that our incomplete understanding of Him often adds to our sorrow. He had come to earth to present good news—not to add sorrow upon sorrow. I think it grieves God when we feel He has shorted us in any way. He surely understands, but I believe it still troubles Him (for our sake) when we perceive Him as “late” or as a “no-show.” That Jesus is a Man of sorrows, well acquainted with grief,” endears Him to me as much as any other truth about Him.

This story gives me hope in another way. It reveals that God can also surprise us by being ahead of our expectations. The sisters didn’t anticipate seeing their brother again until Resurrection Day. Instead they witnessed a miracle and saw their brother within the hour.

I think I do better in my walk of faith when I keep some of the larger timing issues in perspective, such as: 1) The days I will live on earth are numbered; the ones I will live in heaven are not. 2) I ultimately have no control over time, so I need to steward it very responsibly and very open-handedly. 3) While there will be a Resurrection Day, today, regardless of my perception, is the day of salvation—forgiveness, healing, and deliverance.

Lord, that You have wept for us adds a new dimension of Your compassions, which are fresh each morning and will never fail. Amen.

 

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