Divine Romance

The fullness of
Your grace is here with me
The richness of
Your beauty's all I see
The brightness of
Your glory has arrived
In Your presence, God
I'm completely satisfied

For You
I sing, I dance
Rejoice in this divine romance
Lift my heart and my hands to show my love
To show my love

A deep, deep flood
An ocean flows from You
Of deep, deep love
Yeah, it's fillin' up the room
Your innocent blood
Has washed my guilty life
In Your presence, God
I'm completely satisfied

For You
I sing, I dance
Rejoice in this divine romance
Life my heart and my hands
To show my love
To show my love

-Phil Wickham

I love this song. I've been thinking about a few things.

So God loves me, right? God really loves me...so much...

"For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe." (1 Corinthians 1:21)

What is foolish to the world is that a father would forgive a prodigal son--someone who took the father's money and wasted it...and who returned home needing a place to stay. This "foolish" father not only runs to the son and rejoices, but throws a feast in his honor because he has returned home. Sometimes we of this world are so the other brother. There is one part of us that runs home and wants the father's pardon and abundant blessing...and then there is another part that thinks that response would be impossible. Since the love is undeserved, it is seen as foolish.

But in this world we have many examples of this. Even in lesser love relationships (such as between a man and woman) here on earth, we see a sort of "love is blind" philosophy played out in the actions of lovers. They overlook the bad. They expect the good. Granted, our fallen state makes these actions perilous at times, but it reflect the image of God's love. It is foolish to us.

God is crazy in love with us. He covers our sin and calls us holy. He puts on His rose-colored glasses and allows Himself to be an optimistic idealist. As I heard once (I can't remember where), God is tickled silly pink madly in love with us!

There are times when this is so real to me. I just want to do something--anything--to express my love. He does call us to obedience, and that is a wonderful expression. However, there are times when He clips our wings, reminding us it is not about our love for Him, but His for us.

As He denied Davids request to build the temple, He at times denies our expressions back to Him. BUT His promises instead to David were that He would never cause his presence to leave David, that He would raise up David's offspring to succeed him, David's son will build a house for the LORD, and that His love will never depart from David and his son (2 Samuel 7). At first this seemed frustrating to me. My response to being loved or of glimpsing beauty is to declare it, to express it, to do something in return. In some ways I need expression--as Jeremiah describes the Word of God as fire in his bones. However, in thinking more about this promise (with knowledge that God works for the good of those who love Him, and that He gives them the desires of their hearts), I realized something. How many times does David ask for God's presence in the Psalms? He wants to seek His face, sit in His temple and meditate, gaze upon His beauty, and hide in His tabernacle (Psalm 27). He asks for God to hear him (Psalm 17, 27, 28, 29, 55, 86, 102). David tells his soul not to despair, but to hope in God's presence (Psalm 42). He calls Him his refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46).

David's desire was for God's presence. David cried out for God's presence and strength and love over and over again. This is the desire God speaks into. He doesn't want David to concentrate on building a temple to show David's love. God wants to promise David the eternity of God's love. This is what He promises to David: His presence and His love....and to boot He promises to fulfill David's desire for a house for the LORD through his lineage. How lavish are the blessings of our God!

All we are left with is this fire in our bones. With nothing we can do to make God's love look any less foolish. Nothing we can do to repay. Just hearts overflowing with the joy of being love by the one great love. He has chosen, chooses, and will always choose to be ticked silly pink madly in love with us. Good thing we have eternity to rejoice in this salvation.