By Karen West
“O God, how extravagant is your cherishing love! All mankind can find a hiding place under the shadow of your wings. All may drink of the anointing from the abundance of your house. All may drink their fill from the rivers of Eden. The fountain of life flows from you to satisfy me. In your light of holiness we receive the light of revelation.” (Psalms 36:7-9 TPT)
God’s love for us is extravagant, lavish, cherishing. There is room for everyone and abundance in His house. We are satisfied and overflowing with blessings to be a blessing to those around us and to shine His light for others to see the way to salvation.
We are filled with the Holy Spirit (if not, just ask!) and we know Him intimately because He remains with us and lives inside of us.
Disciples of a rabbi would travel and live with him, seeing all day, every day what kind of life he lived, learning by example as well as by being taught, just as Jesus’ disciples followed Him, watching His lifestyle, seeing His miracles.
The disciples would learn from their teacher, growing closer to him as they followed him and shared his life. We see such a beautiful picture of this in John’s relationship with Jesus, the closeness between them, John’s confidence in being and speaking of himself as ‘the disciple Jesus loved’, his proximity to Jesus, even leaning on Him during the Passover meal.
The imagery of Psalm 36 includes the picture of a child climbing into the Father’s lap, a place of safety, comfort, peace and rest.
Our Father is the ultimate teacher, the ultimate Father, who longs to draw us close to himself, to comfort us, to calm us, to carry us when we are weary, to reassure us when we are uncertain, to hold us in a place of safety and protection from anything that might come against us and to whisper His secret mysteries in our ear.
As we read, meditate on and study this week’s scriptures, take time to rest in that place of intimacy with God. Still the busy-ness; lay aside our concerns and our agendas; just come to Him as our Father, our teacher; relax and rest and receive from Him a new measure of intimacy; hear His heart for our lives. Make a note of what He speaks to you in these special times.
Family Discussion:
As you hug your kids this week, take time to remind them this is how God loves and accepts them. Even when you are not with them, He is always there and they can talk to him any time.
