Tag: Cadie L Garcia

John 1: 1-3, 14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made.  And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

It was mid-January 2023, and I was trying to think about what to write for February’s monthly devotional.  As I looked back on December, I took a breath and wondered at the recent Christmas season.  I felt like I was still recovering from the busyness.    Every weekend, I had plans and activities.  One week, I had an event every night.  For the two weeks before and after Christmas, my hour-long commute was made longer by heavy traffic.  My brother came into town, and I got to spend some good, quality time with him and the rest of my family.  But I did not spend a lot of good, quality time with my God, and because of that, it was very easy for me to lose sight of what I was really celebrating when Christmas Day arrived.  

On the Sunday before Christmas, my Pastor’s sermon focused on John 1.  He preached about the Word – Jesus Christ – who became flesh and dwelt as a man among men.  It made me think of the song by William E Booth-Clibborn, which says, “The Great Creator became my Savior.”  As I thought about what I wanted to write for the February devotional, I kept coming back to that thought: The Great Creator became my Savior.  Wow.

The Great Creator:  Genesis 1 recounts how God created light, darkness, time, the world, and everything in the world.  My favorite verse in Genesis is Genesis 1: 16. “And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.”  I asked Google how many stars are in the universe, and the answer is amazing: about 200 billion trillion.  Written out, that’s 200,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (23 zeros!).  My God is so big, so great, that when He talks about creating these billions of trillions of stars, He merely says, “I made those also.”  

My Savior:  John 1:3 says without the Word – Jesus Christ – nothing would have been created.  Yet He humbled himself and became obedient unto the death of the cross so that we could be saved from sin.  “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5: 8).  Perhaps as He set those stars in space, He was thinking of me, knowing my sin, yet still loving me.  He was thinking of you, and He was loving you.  Can you imagine Him, hanging the stars like we hung our ornaments at Christmas?  And all the while, He was planning how He would come to earth as a baby, live a perfect life, and die on the cross so that He could rescue all people from sin.  I echo that great hymn, Hallelujah, what a Savior!

It is so easy to forget during the busyness of the Christmas season why we celebrate Christmas.  I’m afraid I lost focus for a while.  It’s easy to get complacent after Christmas too.  I don’t want to fall into that same complacency again.  I am challenging myself this month to try not to lose focus on my Great Creator and Savior.  I want to get to know Him better.  He cares about my life and yours, every tiny little detail.  If you don’t know Him today, you can.  “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).  If you call on Him, He will hear you.  He loves you, and He wants you to know Him.

Ruth 2:1 (KJV) And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.

I love the book of Ruth.  I am so grateful that God put Ruth in the canon of Scriptures.  I can be a hopeless romantic, so when I read the book of Ruth, I see a beautiful story of human love.  Though the Bible doesn’t specifically say “Boaz loved Ruth”, I believe he did love her.  She wasn’t just a duty to him; he truly wanted to marry her.  But the book of Ruth isn’t a romance novel.  There is so much more under the surface that we can study and apply to our lives.

When I read the book of Ruth, I see not only a human love story, but also a picture of Jesus Christ.  The love that Boaz showed Ruth is a picture of Jesus’ love for the church.  Today, I want to show you a few of the ways Boaz is a picture of Jesus.  There may be more similarities, but these are what stand out to me.  (I am going to assume you have read the book of Ruth.  If you have not, you should. It’s 4 chapters and will only take you about thirty minutes.)

1. Boaz was wealthy.  Jesus is also wealthy.  Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”  There is no end to what the Lord can give to us because everything is His.  
2. Boaz noticed Ruth.  The first thing he said was, “Whose damsel is this?” (Ruth 2:5).  Boaz took an interest in Ruth from the first moment he saw her.  I wonder if he began to think about being her kinsman redeemer that day.  Forgive my romantic side, but could it have been “love at first sight”?  Did you know the Lord Jesus fell in love with us before we were conceived?  “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4).  God set the plan for salvation in motion when He created man.  When man sinned in Genesis 3, that plan began to unfold.  God promised He would send a Savior before you and I ever sinned.  How amazing it is to be noticed by God.
3. Boaz spoke tenderly to Ruth.  “It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.  The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.” (Ruth 2:11).  Here’s my romantic side showing again.  Can you hear Boaz saying these words to Ruth?  I imagine he spoke tenderly to her.  He admired her for leaving Moab, staying with Naomi, and trusting the Lord.  Boaz comforted her and spoke friendly toward Ruth (Ruth 2:13).  Has the Lord ever spoken tenderly to you?  Has He ever comforted you?  He has a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12).  Sometimes He shows me special things in the Word, verses that seem written just for my circumstances.  For example, my favorite verse, Isaiah 61:3, says the Lord gives beauty for ashes, oil of joy for mourning, and praise to replace heaviness.  Our God is so tender and loving toward us.  
4. Boaz made a place at his table for Ruth.  He invited her to lunch that first day, and I believe he continued to invite her to eat at his table the following days.  He even provided bread for her to eat.  Jesus is preparing a feast for His people right now.  One day, when we join Him in heaven, we will have a place at His table.  No one will be left out.   
5. Boaz was generous to Ruth.  Not only did he give her lunch that day, but he also commanded his reapers to drop extra grain on purpose for Ruth.  He wanted to be sure she was provided for.  When Naomi saw how much Ruth brought home that day, she exclaimed, “Blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee.”  And when he sent Ruth away in chapter 3, he gave her extra barley so she wouldn’t return to Naomi emptyhanded (Ruth 3:17).  The Lord provides for us even when we think there isn’t any way that our needs can be met.  He is able (and willing) to do abundantly above what we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).  “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).  He wants to show us His love and His power.  Sometimes He does it before we even ask.  
6. Boaz loved Ruth even though she was an outcast.  Ruth was from Moab, a people who were forbidden from being part of the congregation of Israel (Deuteronomy 23:3).  She was poor and a widow.  Most likely she was still in mourning when she traveled back to Bethlehem with Naomi.  The picture: Jesus loves us, even though we may be outcasts, poor, mourning, or any other negative trait you can think of.  Jesus loves us.  Wow!
7. Boaz was a near kinsman.  He was closely related to Elimelech (Naomi’s husband), but he was not the nearest kinsman.  He gave the other kinsman an opportunity to redeem Ruth, but that man could not, or would not, do so.  When the nearer kinsman chose not to redeem Ruth, Boaz claimed his legal right and married her.  In the book Romance of Redemption, M.R. DeHaan describes this as a picture of the flesh and Jesus.  The flesh (our nearest kinsman) could not redeem us, so Jesus stepped in and became a man.  He paid the penalty for our sins to redeem us.  We are now a part of His Church, the Bride of Christ. 
8. Boaz praised Ruth’s testimony.  In chapter 3, Ruth came to Boaz to ask him to fulfill his duty as the kinsman redeemer.  He responded, “And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.” (Ruth 3:11).  The whole city knew Ruth by now, and they all agreed: she was a virtuous woman.  Boaz praised her for her actions.  One day, the Lord will praise us for living faithfully for Him.  One of the ways Jesus praises His people is by giving them crowns.  There are several crowns we can win as we live for Christ here on earth: the crown of rejoicing (1 Thessalonians 2:19), the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8), the crown of life (James 1:12), and the crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4).  But we won’t keep these crowns long.  Instead, we will give them back to Jesus in praise and worship for Who He is: our Savior. 

I am sure there are other ways that Boaz is a picture of Jesus, but these are the similarities that stand out to me.  I love how, in His wisdom, God gave us this love story between Boaz and Ruth.  I also love that, while I studied Boaz’s love for Ruth, I have come to view Jesus’ love for me in a special way.  His love for me is real and tender and generous, just as Boaz’s love was toward Ruth.  If you don’t know Jesus today, you can.  John 3:16 is one of those tender verses God gave us to describe His love.  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  You can trust God means every word.  He does love you.  He did give His Son for you.  All you have to do is believe in Him, and you can have everlasting life.   His love for you is just as real as Boaz and Ruth, and ever so much better.

Philippians 2: 5-8 (KJV) Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

             I feel so unworthy to touch on the topic of self-sacrifice.  This is an area that I struggle with daily.  For me, the hardest place to practice self-sacrifice is when I drive.  I used to drive an hour to work one way. I have been guilty of everything from speeding to anger to ugly thoughts.  So, when I tried to write about the topic of self-sacrifice, I turned to the only One I could think of Who demonstrated complete self-sacrifice: the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is THE example of complete self-sacrifice; He is THE standard that I must strive to live up to.

             Paul wrote Philippians 2 as a demonstration to the church that they needed to learn to think and act like Jesus.  Earlier in the chapter, Paul wrote that they should esteem others better than themselves and that they should consider the needs of others above their own needs.  These are hard things to do.  It is so much easier just to think about what I need each day without considering anyone else.  But this is not Christ-like.  Instead, Christlikeness is putting others before myself, no matter what. We Christians are called to be like Christ, and this is one of the many passages that helps us understand the mind of Christ.

             “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (v. 5).  There is no mystery about it – we must have the same mind-set as Jesus.

             “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God” (v. 6).  Jesus is God.  Saying that He is equal with God does not rob any glory or worship from God because Jesus is God.  

             “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men” (v. 7).  Jesus became a human with the same feelings that we all have: thirst, hunger, cold, fatigue, pain.  But Jesus didn’t just become a human; He became a servant.  He could have been born in a palace to a king and queen, but instead, He was born in a stable to a young couple of nobodies.  Jesus is the greatest example of humility.

             “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (v 8).  Jesus humbled himself and became a servant.  Then He died on the cross like a criminal.  He was sinless and perfect.  Why did He have to die like that?  So that anyone who believes in Him might be saved and so that God would be glorified.  

             Jesus is the supreme example of complete self-sacrifice and humility.  If we ask Him, He will help us to humble ourselves too so that we can display Christ-like self-sacrifice to the world around us.  Perhaps the key to self-sacrifice is humility.  To be humbled, according to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, is to be abased or made low.  If we will humble ourselves, or make ourselves low in our own eyes, then we will begin to see and care about the needs of those around us.  

             I mentioned earlier that I struggle with self-sacrifice when I am driving.  I began to wonder the other day what Jesus would do if he were behind the wheel.  I realized my own shortcomings very quickly!  If I humble myself, how might that change my driving habits?  As Christians, we are supposed to live our lives with an attitude of “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”  I want to challenge you this month to think about the areas where you know you struggle with self-sacrifice.  How would Jesus approach those areas?  What would He think or say or do if he was faced with your situation?  He would humble Himself and put others first.  We should do the same.  If we fail, Jesus will forgive us and help us try again.

John 4: 25-26 (KJV) The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.  Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

The story of the woman at the well is familiar to most Christians.  Jesus went out of His way to meet this sinful Samaritan woman so she could be saved.  Beginning with a simple request for water, Jesus had a conversation with the woman that led from the promise of everlasting life to a confrontation about her sin to revealing that He was the true Messiah.  Eventually, the woman left her waterpot at the well and ran into the city, exclaiming, “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?”

During their course of their conversation, the woman said to Jesus, “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship” (v. 20).  She did what many sinners do when confronted with their sin: she dodged her need for pardon from personal sin by asking questions about religion.  She brought up where God could be worshipped, and Jesus answered her that where was not as important as how God was worshipped.  He said, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”  Still not knowing Who she was speaking to, the woman said she believed the Messiah was coming and would reveal all things when He came.  It seems she still wasn’t convinced Jesus knew what He was talking about until He said, “I that speak unto thee am he.”  

The woman was so caught up in where and how to worship that she was blind to Who was in front of her deserving her worship.  God is the most important part of our worship.  Without Him, we have nothing.  Without Him, we are nothing.  I looked up the word worship for this study.  Two words that are repeated in the definitions of worship in both the dictionary and the concordance are reverence (respect) and honor (high esteem).  God deserves all the reverence and honor that we can give Him.  Not only is He the Great Creator, but He is also our Loving Savior.  He has literally done everything for us.  

 Sometimes I find myself falling into a routine or habit when I approach times for worship.  At church: sing, pray, announcement, sing, sermon, pray.  In my quiet time: a chapter, a moment of meditation, sometimes I write it down, done.  Singing or listening to Christian songs: enjoying the lyrics, then going about my day.  But worship is so much more than sermons, singing, or praying.  It is me communing with God.  When I think of Who He is, and who I am, it makes that time of worship so much more meaningful.

I have a challenge for us as we ponder worship.  Let us consider Who we worship.  Jesus, who wants to have a personal relationship with us.  The Creator of the world.  The Savior who gave Himself for us.  He is Perfect.  Everlasting.  All Knowing.  All Powerful.  If we are in a church building, perhaps we could take an extra moment of silence before the service begins to think about what the Lord has done for us.  If we are admiring nature, perhaps we could breathe a short prayer of thanksgiving for what He has made for us.  If we are singing, perhaps we could take a moment to reflect on the words of the song and what they say about our God. No matter what we do, let us approach God with reverence and honor because of Who He is.

Ruth 2:15-16 (KJV) And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.

            I was looking for the word “purpose” in the Bible when I came across these verses in Ruth.  They made me stop and think about how kind Boaz was to Ruth.  Then I realized that there’s a trail of kindness throughout the book of Ruth.  I’m going to take for granted you know the story of Ruth, but if you do not, please take a few moments to read it.  Ruth is a short book in the Old Testament, but it’s one of my favorites.  

             Naomi showed kindness to Ruth first by accepting her and loving her as a daughter.  Even more important, Naomi taught Ruth about the one true God, probably not just with words, but by the way she lived too.  Eventually, Ruth chose Naomi’s God to be her own.  Naomi didn’t have to be kind to Ruth. Ruth was her daughter-in-law, a Gentile, an idolatress. But Naomi chose to be kind because she knew she could impact Ruth’s eternity.

             Unfortunately, after Naomi’s husband and sons died, she became bitter and depressed.  She announced to her daughters-in-law that she was returning to Bethlehem, and they needed to return to their parents.  She had nothing to give them.  But Ruth would not leave Naomi alone; it was now her turn to show kindness.  Ruth left everything she knew – her parents, her homeland, even the grave of her husband – to accompany a bitter old woman to a place she’d never been.  As far as Ruth could see, there would be no reward for her kindness.  She and Naomi would live as impoverished widows for the rest of their lives.  Can you imagine their journey?  Ruth 1:18 says Naomi left speaking unto Ruth.  Maybe she gave her the silent treatment all the way back to Bethlehem.  Yet Ruth never faltered.  She would be there for Naomi until the end, taking care of her and loving her.  Ruth’s kindness was Christ-like and, I believe, was a result of her newfound faith in God.  Ruth may have felt that her kindness would have no reward, God would make sure that it did.  

             Life in those days was not easy for widows, but God had made provision for them in Leviticus 19.  Reapers were to leave the dropped grains and the corners of the fields for the poor.  That’s how Ruth found herself in the field of Boaz, gleaning behind his reapers.  Then Boaz did something that surprised Ruth: he invited her to eat lunch with him.  After lunch, he told his reapers to let Ruth glean anywhere (not just the corners).  And not only that, he also told them to let extra grain fall to the ground for her to gather.  “Let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her.”  Ruth must have brought a lot of food home that day because Naomi exclaimed, “Where hast thou gleaned today?  Blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee.”  When Ruth asked Boaz why he would show favor to her, he replied in Ruth 2:11, “It hath fully been showed to me all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.”  Ruth’s testimony was that she had left all to be with Naomi, even during her darkest moments.  And Ruth was willing to go out to glean in the fields so that Naomi didn’t have to.  Boaz knew this, and he chose to be kind to her because of her kindness to Naomi.  It did not matter where she was from or what her previous religion had been or what her past looked like.  In the end, they were married and became the great-grandparents of King David.  They are part of the lineage of Jesus.  What an honor!

             Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz chose to show kindness on purpose, even when it wasn’t easy.  God still wants His people to show kindness on purpose.  Who do I need to be kind to today?  What impact can my kindness have on their lives?  It may be that my kindness can open the door for me to witness to a lost soul.  Then I can tell them about the greatest kindness ever shown: Jesus Christ, who died for the sins of the whole world, who loved us even when we were unlovable.  As we go about our day, let us choose to be kind on purpose.

Matthew 18: 1-5 (KVJ) At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?  And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.  

            I want to remind you of a childhood song.  Perhaps you sang it in Sunday School.  Maybe you serve in a children’s ministry and still sing it frequently.  I’m talking about the little song “Obedience”.  I loved this song as a kid, but as I grew older, it dropped from my memory.  Its truths didn’t seem to apply to my adult life.  They were “little” truths, but I was adult now, and I had to think about “big” truths.  And so, I tucked the little song and the “little” truths away in the recesses of my memory.  Then about a month ago, I was flipping through our hymnal at church, and I came across this little song again.  Did you know it has two verses?  That made me so happy:  a sweet memory from childhood and another verse to add to my knowledge!  

Here is the song:

            1. Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.  Doing exactly what the Lord commands, doing it happily.  Action is the key, do it immediately.  Joy you will receive.  Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.

            2. We want to live pure, we want to live clean, we want to do our best; sweetly submitting to authority, leaving to God the rest.  Walking in the light, keeping our attitudes right, on the narrow way; for if we believe the Word we receive, we always will obey.

            On the chorus, you spell out O – B – E – D – I – E – N – C – E and then sing again, Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.

            In Matthew 18, the disciples asked Jesus who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus called a child to him and said the greatest in the kingdom of heaven are those who humble themselves as little children.  One of the characteristics that all parents want to teach their children is obedience.  I have a friend who has taught her children that the best obedience is that which is done with a happy heart.  Happy heart obedience shows the world the children’s love and respect for their parents.

            Obedience isn’t just for children.  It is just as important, and perhaps even more so, that as adults, we obey God and honor the authorities He has set in our lives.  How will the world know that we are Christians if we do not obey the commands of God?  Like the song says, obedience is the very best way to show that we believe.

            I want to challenge you to think about the “little” truths that we should obey, the ones we learned on our mothers’ laps or in our primary Sunday School classes.  Let us be like little children and obey the commands of the Bible with a happy heart.  Here are a few examples:

• Read, study, and memorize the Bible.  (2 Timothy 2:15)
• Honor those in authority over me.  (Hebrews 13:17)
• Be kind to those around me.  (Proverbs 18:24)
• Keep my life clean as an example to others.  (1 Corinthians 6:19)
• Confess secret sins.  (Psalm 51: 6)
• Trust God, even when I don’t understand.  (Psalm 34:22)
• Forgive those who have wronged me.  (Matthew 18:21-22)

            In closing, I want to reiterate the last line of that song.  “If we believe the Word we receive, we always will obey.”  Obedience is not always easy.  Sometimes, obeying God’s Word is the hardest thing to do.  Many people struggle to trust that He will take care of us, no matter how circumstances turn out.  But if we believe it, we must obey it.  The God of the Bible, who took care of Joseph, Daniel, and Paul, will reward our obedience and take care of us too.

Psalm 51: 1-4a & 11 (KJV) Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.  Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.  Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight… Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

             I heard a preacher say once that David is known for two things: killing Goliath and sinning with Bathsheba.  One was a great victory; the other a great defeat.  All of his life, David not only believed in God but built a close relationship with God.  His life of faith is recorded by others in 1 & 2 Samuel and by himself in the Psalms.  He trusted God for protection (1 Samuel 17: 37), thanked God for great military victories (2 Samuel 8), and tried to be an example to others (1 Samuel 24).  However, after all of this, David was still subject to sin.  He lusted after Bathsheba, sinned with her, and eventually killed her husband so he could make her his wife.  It seemed as though the man after God’s own heart had turned his back on God.

            Have you ever been in a situation like David, where it feels like you have forsaken your relationship with God and turned to sin instead?  Those awful questions begin to rise: Have I fallen too far?  Can God still hear me?  Does He still love me?  Could He ever forgive me?  I’ve asked myself these questions before, and I found the answers in God’s forgiveness of David.  

            Although David had shut the door of communication between himself and God, God kept knocking and pushing that door open.  He sent Nathan the prophet to confront David with his sin (2 Samuel 12).  I can see him, pointing at David as he said, “Thou art the man.”  And I can see David, as his walls come crashing down.  David could only reply, “I have sinned against the Lord.”  Perhaps by this time, he was weeping, acknowledging his sin, and knowing he needed forgiveness from God.  Nathan’s reply was quick.  “The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.”  All that was needed for God to forgive was for David to admit that he had sinned.  Repentance and forgiveness happened in the same moment.  

            I believe it was not long after Nathan left his presence that David penned Psalm 51.  I encourage you to read the full Psalm; it’s only 19 verses.  This is the passage that I run to when I need forgiveness in my life.  It is a constant reminder that God can forgive and that He will forgive.  He is a God of mercy.  To answer those questions from before: We can never fall too far.  God will still hear us; He wants us to cry out to Him.  He does still love us.  He wants to forgive us.  He wants to give us a clean heart, like a new slate, so we can start again.  God didn’t throw David away, and He won’t throw us away either.  God was quick to forgive when David repented, and He is just as quick to forgive us.

Revelation 5: 12-13 (KJV) And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.  And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 

             Earlier this year, I had the honor to hear a live production of several selections from Handel’s Messiah.  My favorite selection is from this portion of Scripture.  The Messiah follows Christ from prophecy to His birth to that glorious day when He is seated on His throne with believers of all ages praising Him.  The audience stood when the choir sang “Worthy is the Lamb”, the words of which are from this passage of Scripture in Revelation.  “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain and hath redeemed us to God – to God by his blood.”  As they sang, I began to imagine singing it with them.  Not just here in an earthly choir, but at the throne of Jesus Christ with my loved ones who have gone to heaven before me.  

             Imagine it for just a moment.  There’s a rainbow around the throne – a reminder that Christ has kept every promise throughout the ages.  And He who sits on the throne is more beautiful that any jewel or gemstone known to man.  And around Him, there is throng of grateful believers.  And I am there too.  I am one of those praising Him because He is worthy to receive all my praise.  I am the one singing “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain” to my Savior.  He is so worthy!  

             The greatest exhibition of the love of Christ was His death on the cross for the sins of the world.  Isaiah prophesied Christ’s horrible death.  Here are some passages from Isaiah 53.  “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief… he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities… and with his stripes we are healed… and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.”  

             The afflictions Jesus suffered on the cross are unimaginable.  Doctors have tried to tell us what His physical pain must have been, and preachers have tried to explain the pain of God the Son being separated from God the Father.  And yet, I believe it must have been much worse than we could ever express with words. But Christ was willing to go to the cross because He loved us.  He loved us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8).  He loved us even when He knew who we were.  He even loved those who He knew would reject Him.  There is truly no greater love than this.  That God Almighty, Creator of the universe, perfect in every sense of the word, would shed his blood for me, die in a horrible, painful, shameful manner, so that I could be with Him in heaven.  He truly is worthy of an eternity of praise and glory and honor and blessing.

Psalm 51:7-8 (KJV) Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Have you ever felt like you didn’t have any more joy in your life?  I don’t know your circumstances, but I know in my life, when I have felt like that, it was when I was battling sin or guilt in my own strength.  Usually, I was trying to hide from the Lord out of shame.  

I’m sure that’s how David felt when he wrote Psalm 51.  David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.  Then he planned how to kill her husband so his sin wouldn’t be found out.  He was adding sin to sin.  And he was trying to hide from God – whether he would admit it or not.  David forgot that God had seen and knew his secret all along.  God sent Nathan the prophet to point his finger in David’s face and tell him, “Thou art the man!”  I don’t know how long David tried to hide from God, but I can imagine he must have been miserable.  I can hear his misery in Psalm 51:

Have mercy upon me, O God!

Blot out my transgressions!

My sin is ever before me!

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned!

After admitting he had sinned, David started praying for cleansing.  “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice” (Psalm 51: 7-8).  Charles Spurgeon said of these verses, “He is requesting a great thing; he seeks joy for a sinful heart, music for crushed bones.  Preposterous prayer anywhere but at the throne of God!”  I love that!  Yes, what a preposterous request, but it is one that God longed to hear from David.  He longs to hear this request from us too.  Sin breaks our fellowship with God.  When He chastises us, He is trying to get our attention.  Sometimes God has to break us.  God broke David, but instead of complaining about brokenness, David acknowledged it was God who broke him so that he could be restored.  Remember, it wasn’t until David was faced with his sin that he repented and turned back to God.  

Did you notice David’s petitions for cleansing in verse 7?  Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean.  Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.  David was praying for complete cleansing.  He was praying with the expectation that God not only could, but would, wash him whiter than snow.  He didn’t just want a surface cleansing either.  He wanted perfect purity.  White as snow.

Then in verse 8, David requested that his joy be restored.  In his hiding, in his misery, the weight of sin and guilt had burdened him so that he had no joy left.  Perhaps he tried to sing and felt his voice crack; or maybe he tried to write but couldn’t move his pen.  It reminds me of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim Christian, so burdened by the weight on his back he could barely walk until he got to the cross and the burden rolled away.   Joy was restored when sin was confessed.  The Lord removed the burden.  Bones that were broken by that weight of sin were healed by the One who did the breaking.  Spurgeon said, “yet if he who crushed would cure, every wound would become a new mouth for song.”  

I believe God restored David’s joy.  Though David’s life was turned upside down from that time forward, with war and heartache on every side, he had the joy of a forgiven man.  He knew the Lord had broken him and the Lord had restored him.  He would know heartache, but he would also write Psalms.  Even today, we read the Psalms of David and find encouragement, comfort, and solace.  We look at the life of David, and we see a man who messed up but continued to seek the Lord.  Acts 13: 22 calls David a man after God’s own heart.  

We can follow David’s example.  When we sin, when we feel the weight of guilt, we can ask for forgiveness.  We can pray like David, in faith and with expectancy that God will cleanse us.  Then, we can ask for joy to be restored – that preposterous prayer, as Spurgeon called it.  That prayer God will both hear and answer.  He will forgive, and He will restore our joy.  I don’t know what you’re dealing with today, but I know this: you can have joy again.