"At His Feet: Devoted Love" (Part Three)
"A call to holiness is a call to conversion"
The Dictionary
of Biblical Theology offers a definition for this intimate, heart-level,
experiential knowledge of God:
"Knowledge is entrance in the vast tides of life and light
that emanate from the heart of God and head back to him" (p.299).
We note that this Divine Love--which is the very Life of
God--and this light of Truth each come from the heart of God: Each has
its origin in the heart of God; for, in a sense, we can say that God is
Heart--because God is Love! God: Desires each of us to experience his heart
which is the "epicenter" of Love, Mercy, Truth, and Holiness; desires
each of us to be drawn into his heart; and desires each of us to be
"transformed into his heart" for the world. We have spoken already of how
authentic religious devotion comes through direct, profound, and personal
experiences of God's presence. In these profound "knowing" experiences, we
encounter the God of Love, Mercy, and Holiness. We also encounter our sin! In
the "halogen high beams" of God's unique holiness, we are drawn to see our
faults--what diverges from holiness.
We remember
the story of the call of the Prophet Isaiah found in chapter Six of the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah:
"I saw the LORD seated on a high and lofty throne…Holy, holy,
holy is the LORD of hosts!…Then I said, "woe is me, I am doomed! For I
am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my
eyes have seen the king, the LORD of hosts!"
(Is. 6:1,3,5)
We note that Isaiah, in the midst of this profound experience
of God's all-holy presence, becomes aware of his own personal sinfulness. How
essential it is for each of us to pray for this grace of sensitized, interior
awareness. This is an indispensable grace needed for every intercessor. A heart
that is experiencing these intensely intimate encounters with God begins to fall more and more deeply in love
with God. This heart begins to desire that nothing separate it from the God
whom one loves more and more deeply. How true it is that personal renewal
begins with an interior awareness.
Lyrics from
the Christian song, "Beautiful One" state: "You captured my heart with
this love, 'cause nothing on earth is as beautiful as You" ("Beautiful
One", by Tim Hughes; 2002 Thank- you Music). As one's heart begins to be
"captured" by God's Love, one becomes more and more captivated to the point of
desiring conversion. As one experiences the overwhelming reality of God's
beauty, one will become aware of the 'ugliness of one's own sins'. As the psalm
writer says, "In your light we see light" (Ps. 36:10). Through the revelation
of God's profound Love, Holiness, and Mercy one begins to recognize one's
personal sins. This realization is a merciful grace offered to each of us. How
can one be drawn closer to God if one does not have an interior awareness of
what keeps one at a distance from God?!
God directly
wills these "knowing" experiences for the sake of our spiritual transformation
and inner renewal. When we are "touched" profoundly by our God of Love, we
begin to respond-- we begin to desire to "know" him even more intimately. We
begin to desire to let go of lesser things for the sake of love. These
"knowing" experiences of God draw us into the work of conversion--into the
levels of conversion (from glory to glory)--to be transformed into the "true
humanity" of Jesus. For each of us, God desires our "true heart" to burst forth
into the world with fragrance and beauty: A heart that has a tremendous love
for God, and a tremendous love for, and mercy towards, humanity. This is the
heart of the prayer warrior!
Questions:
1) Is there an area of personal sin that God is either
calling me to look at, or that I am currently working to eradicate?
2) Do I tend to look at other persons, my nation, and the
world with a merciful or judgmental attitude?
Scriptures:
Is. 6: 1-7; Jer. 31:34; Luke 1: 77-78
