Been doing some reading over Thanksgiving in the book of Jeremiah and it struck me, God was revealed in many facets that I never quite seen. The biggest one is if God was on Oprah - I think many women would fawn over him as incredible.
Incredible in the manner that unlike most husbands and men in general, God LISTENS:
The book of Jeremiah is a book of charges against an unfaithful people and in bringing a case against his people God states what his people have been thinking, saying and doing - and in many cases it was regarding adultery:
God, could be in Law and Order - he never brings a case without evidence that we said ourselves, that we did. He listens intently to what his people say, and then reminds them, "You said this."
27 They say to wood, 'You are my father,'
and to stone, 'You gave me birth.'
They have turned their backs to me
and not their faces;
yet when they are in trouble, they say,
'Come and save us!'
One can also see the winsome heart of God, wooing an unfaithful people. It's like a wife who spurns her husband, but his endurning spirit and patience waits with open heart for his people to come back.
You also read into God's heart - I want nothing more than... - the heart of God is for our best.
19 “I thought to myself,
‘I would love to treat you as my own children!’
I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land—
the finest possession in the world.
I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’
and I wanted you never to turn from me.
Another passage struck me, and painted a picture: God said, "my heart weeps for my people, I cannot stop crying." The irony of an all sufficent, all powerful God weeping over the wayward heart of his people is truly remarkable. Remarkable in the fact that he ENDURES with people. We say one thing, but do another, we constantly break his heart, but he constantly woos us.
THE IRONY IS THIS: God is all powerful yet desires the loving heart of a faith, loving people. God actually aches in his own heart when we stray away, and the most convicting thing is God actually HURT AND ACHE when move away from him.
Michele and I talked about this: we move away because we want to simply do what WE WANT TO DO. The mere ackowledgement of God means there is ACCOUNTABILITY. But many people don't know God isn't interested in a relationship of accountability - he's interested in us not living broken lives.