He Sought Me
By Brita Crouse
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions
and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.”
Galatians
5:24 (NLT)
“He died
for me while I was sinning
Needy and
poor and blind
He
whispered to assure me,
‘I've found
thee, thou art mine’
I'd never
heard a sweeter voice
It made my
aching heart rejoice” [1]
The first time I heard those
lyrics, it was like I had been struck by lightning. I was in church, feeling
disheartened and distant from God, when all of a sudden...these words hit me.
It was truth I so badly needed to hear during a time when God was feeling very
distant. The song? The hymn “In Tenderness,” originally written by William
Spencer Walton.
After hearing this song, I had
a revelation, which is probably obvious, but it struck me nonetheless. It was
this: The closeness I feel in my relationship with God is dependent on me. I
was at a place where I was feeling far from God and wondering why I felt like
this. Well, it was because of me, because of my distance. God is constant,
faithful, and steadfast. I (we) are fickle, unreliable and inconsistent.
All relationships require
effort, including our relationship with God. It’s easy just to shout up a
prayer to God when we want something, but this isn’t how our relationship with
Him is supposed to be. For relationships to grow and flourish, they require
constant communication, unconditional love, and genuine care and concern for
one another (among other things). Here’s the thing: God demonstrates these
things perfectly, we don’t.
The truly amazing thing about
having a relationship with God is His gift of salvation and His willingness to
forgive our sins. “He died for [us] while [we were] sinning!” Our sins were crucified
with Christ. He died for you. He died for me. How comforting it is to know God
wants to forgive us, to bring restoration to our relationship with Him. All we
need to do is confess and ask.
It is easy to put up barriers
with God, to convince ourselves we are too unlovable to be loved by Him. But,
it’s simply not true. God is still unwavering in His love for us when we are at
our worst. A relationship with God is not always easy, but it is always worth
it.
Listen for His voice,
whispering, “I’ve found you, you are Mine.”
GOING DEEPER:
1. How is God speaking to you today? What are
ways He is showing His love for you?
2. Listen to “In Tenderness” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kpXqd8pGFw)
and reflect on the lyrics and how they apply to you today.
FURTHER READING:
Brita is currently working toward her Master’s in Counseling at the
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. She has called Oakwood her home church for
the past seventeen years.
