He said to him the third time, ’. . . do you love Me?’ —John 21:17
Have you ever felt the pain, inflicted by the Lord, at the very center of your being, deep down in the most sensitive area of your life? The devil never inflicts pain there, and neither can sin nor human emotions. Nothing can cut through to that part of our being but the Word of God. “Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ’Do you love Me?’ ” Yet he was awakened to the fact that at the center of his personal life he was devoted to Jesus. And then he began to see what Jesus’ patient questioning meant. There was not the slightest bit of doubt left in Peter’s mind; he could never be deceived again. And there was no need for an impassioned response; no need for immediate action or an emotional display. It was a revelation to him to realize how much he did love the Lord, and with amazement he simply said, “Lord, You know all things . . . .” Peter began to see how very much he did love Jesus, and there was no need to say, “Look at this or that as proof of my love.” Peter was beginning to discover within himself just how much he really did love the Lord. He discovered that his eyes were so fixed on Jesus Christ that he saw no one else in heaven above or on the earth below. But he did not know it until the probing, hurting questions of the Lord were asked. The Lord’s questions always reveal the true me to myself.Oh, the wonder of the patient directness and skill of Jesus Christ with Peter! Our Lord never asks questions until the perfect time. Rarely, but probably once in each of our lives, He will back us into a corner where He will hurt us with His piercing questions. Then we will realize that we do love Him far more deeply than our words can ever say.
March 2, 2012
Journal Entry for Today-JDV
Lord, I have felt the pain of your piercing questions. I have felt the pain of being separated from You right when I need you the most; then I realize that You did not move… I did. I would also like to avoid the pain of your piercing conditional question…”if you love Me then feed my sheep.” And while I want to avoid the pain and heartache of this life I have also come to understand that you will not allow anything to touch me that does not come from your overwhelming love for me. I may not understand it all, and I may not know the rhyme or reasons…but as the song reminds me…You love like a hurricane, and I am a tree…bending beneath your wind and mercy.
And God says…”Trust in Me with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding…and I will make your paths straight…means that you are not to interpret your circumstances or situations as issues related to how much I love you. I love you against the backdrop of eternity and My omnipotence. I absolutely know what is the very best for you in that context, and provide and protect for you with full knowledge of your future that includes eternity with Me. My love for you in this life is not intended as an opportunity for you to get what you want. It is for you to be transformed into the likeness of Jesus. And that transformation often demands the shaping that can only come from your trials.”
James 1:2-4 (NIV)
Trials and Temptations
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
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