My Life | my hope

I just got back from spending a week listening to, learning about, meditating on, talking about, and seeing more of God in many different aspects.
One day right before the time set aside for personal quiet time, I had a really good, thought-provoking conversation with a good friend(you know who you are 🙂 ). Then during quiet time, I grabbed my marker and my thoughts tumbled out onto my notebook.
This is my try at putting into words the story that God put in my heart…

 

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There I was.
Standing in view of a holy and just Law, written by God Himself.
One by one the commandments came, and I was condemned.
Guilty. Vile. Wicked.
Satan stood beside me, obviously happy.
I felt hopelessly lost. How could I be free? How could I be cleansed? Was there any hope?

And then, I saw Him.
The perfect Lamb of God.
The righteous Son of God.
Jesus Christ Himself bruised, bleeding, suffering shamefully on an old rugged tree.
He seemed to look right into my eyes and with His last ounce of breath, He cried out,

“IT IS FINISHED.”

And He died.

 

Satan looked even happier.
I held my breath.

 

But the grave had no power over the Almighty. He burst out, defeating death, fully alive, triumphing over Satan.
I could see the shock on Satan’s face.

Then Jesus walked over to me, overflowing with pure light.
I felt more sinful then before.

But He held out His Hand and with eyes full of love, He said,

“I did it for you.”

I was overwhelmed, not sure what to think.
In my minds eye, I saw Him hanging on that cross, bruised, bleeding, and suffering, and suddenly I saw my sins, one by one, appearing on Him.
He was taking my sins.
I looked again and my entire being, I, was in Him. Hanging on that tree. I was in Him when He cried out, “It is finished.”

I looked to the grave and amazingly, when He burst out, someone came out with Him.

A new creature.

I looked down and realized, it was me.
I was the new creature that came out of the grave in Jesus Christ.
My heart overflowed in praise and gratitude to my breathtaking, breath giving Saviour.
I was free. I was cleansed.

Then He promised me that I could live forever with Him.
I had a hope beyond this world.

Hand in hand, we started walking toward His house, the house He was preparing for me.
As we walked, I started to look around. I started feeling unworthy to go to His house. Insufficient to walk this path.
I looked at myself and wondered, How can I be sure to walk the right way? How can I keep myself on this path?
I began to formulate strategies and techniques to produce more confidence in myself, but instead, they produced more fear. Entangling fears.

Then I felt Someone squeeze my hand.
It brought me out of my thoughts.
I had forgotten that Someone was holding my hand.

I looked up.
I saw that bright Face.
I saw those eyes filled with love.
And in that tender voice, He said again,

“I did it for you.”

And suddenly, I remembered.
I remembered Who had brought me here. The price that He had paid for me. The promises that He had made to me.
That this ENTIRE thing was HIS doing.

And as we journeyed on, with every step, in every turn, over every rocky place, I gazed into those loving eyes, and heard Him whisper,

“It is finished.”

HE was taking me home.
I was safe.

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“Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” Galations 3:3

“I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” 1Thessalonians 5:23b-24

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32

“He that gives us heaven will surely give us all that is needful on the road thither.” -CHS

“His grace has brought you safe this far, His grace will lead you home.”