The Rev. Fred Phelps, the founder of Westboro Baptist Church
in Kansas, died last week. You may know
of him for his hate-filled protests at the funerals of U.S. soldiers, claiming their deaths were God’s revenge for America’s
tolerance of homosexuality. His animus disgraced the Gospel with his
unadulterated message “God hates gays.”
How unlike our Lord Jesus who came to seek and save the
lost (Luke 19:10). Are you not troubled when you hear so-called fundamentalist Christians speak hatefully against sinners, and even more venomously against those who struggle with sexual identity? Our culture has given rise to numbers of believers who are
engaged in this battle. Yes, God hates sin, but “God demonstrated His own love
toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). Jesus
not only loves the lost, He loves His lost sheep who have gone astray (Luke 15:4).
During our darkest hours, we instinctively turn to God, knowing that nothing else can cure our feeling of aloneness. This God-given drive is a “cosmic loneliness” that cannot be satisfied by any person on earth. It is aptly described by Augustine: “God made us for Himself and our hearts are restless
until they find rest in Him.”
In ‘Alone in the Universe,’ Astrophysicist David
Wilkinson says, “Men and women made in the image of the Creator of the Universe
feel alienated from God. The Christian faith says we are not alone. God wants to be in
relationship with us.” Likewise, Scripture says God desires for all to “seek and find Him” (Act 17:27).
If you’re the kind of person who feels this loneliness, you’re
not alone. Moreover, if you’ve been rejected, misunderstood, and alienated, you’re
really not alone. The man who was more “despised and rejected” than anyone who ever lived, a “man of sorrows and grief” (Is. 53:3), says to you, “I will
never fail you. I will never abandon you” (Heb. 13:5). And that alone is the
cure for cosmic loneliness.
One of the most profound statements of divine intention is found in Paul’s Mars Hill sermon where he explains to the Greek god-seekers: God’s purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us (Acts 17:27). It seems that God positions Himself in a celestial game, respectfully, of “hide-and-seek.”
Imagine how we would frustrate our children if, while playing hide-and-seek, we were to leave the house and never return. “How cruel,” you say? But in the real world, some parents do this, leaving their families for a lover or an adventure, or just because they don’t want to be a parent anymore. For all practical purposes, they remain hidden from their youngsters’ eyes, surfacing years later, to be greeted with that long-unanswered question, “Where were you?”
I am no anthropologist, but I can imagine that “hide-and-seek” is a cross-cultural phenomenon. Why?—because it is so deeply psychological. Playing hide-and-seek teaches children that their parents will always be there for them; and though Daddy or Mommy are unseen for a moment, they are there; they will be found. Our heavenly Father says, "I love you who love me and diligently seek me. And when you search for Me with all your heart, I will be found by you, and, moreover, I will never leave or abandon you (Prov. 8:17: Jer. 29:13-14; Heb 13:5).
One of my favorite passages in the Old Testament is found in Isaiah 30. I have long been comforted by the words in verse 15, in particular: “In returning and rest you shall be saved…” The word “return” is also translated “repent.” Repentance is simply returning. Returning to what? To the point of departure. Going back to the point where you left Him, left truth, left faith.
As I’ve studied this word “return,” I see it all over the Scriptures, most especially in the prophets—always exhorting a wayward, wandering people back to God. And God says “if you seek Him, you will find Him” (2 Chron. 15:2, 4, 15; Acts 17:27).
I am going through one of those days (weeks) when I am so distracted by earthly things, I feel very earthbound (and I hate it!). At these times, I am reminded by the comforting words that we find our “rest” when we return to him. And as many times a day as I must turn, He is always there waiting for me; always there to be found! Aren’t you glad we have a God who does not have a “No Return” policy?
Miriam Webster defines “longing” as “a strong persistent yearning or desire, especially one that cannot be fulfilled.” We are aware of our longing for God (Psalm 42:1-2; 63:1-2). But does the God of the Universe have longings? “Unfulfilled” longings?
The answer lies in looking at Jesus. God’s longing is seen through Jesus as He seeks to heal those who are hurt and sick and held captive to sin. Does Jesus not say “I have come to seek to save that which was lost?” (Luke 19:10) Is this not the longing of God's heart.
In Luke 15, Jesus tells three stories of longings—each one representing the “Father-heart” of God: the shepherd searching for the one lost sheep out of a hundred, of a woman who searches for a lost coin, and of a father who welcomes his wayward son home. Each parable pictures a longing—even an urgency—to find that which was loved and lost. In our sometimes self-centered (please-meet-my-needs) search for God, we forget it is God, initially and preveniently, who is longing for us.
The term “In Your Face” suggests a rather aggressive way of interacting with someone—a nose-to-nose confrontation. A similar phrase, “In His Face,” was the title of a book by Bob Sorge (1994). Bob used the phrase to emphasize he was ‘aggressively’ pursuing God in the midst of his life-altering illness.
Another, perhaps gentler expression is “Face Time,” meaning face-to-face interaction between people—incorporating "real” time and closeness versus telephone, email, or instant messaging, and promoting intimacy through eye contact and touch.
God desires “Face time” with us (as we should with Him): “When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to You, ‘Your face, O Lord, I shall seek” (Psalm 27:8). “Face Time” with God also requires closeness. “In Your presence is fullness of joy” (Ps. 16:11). Significantly, the words “face” and “presence” are the SAME in Hebrew. In these two verses you can easily substitute the words “face” and “presence.”
Are you spending enough “face time” with Jesus? You cannot get it by attending a church service, or listening to a sermon, or doing ministry. These are all ‘good’ things that can keep you away from spending time alone in the presence of Jesus.
