Be Loved

                                    A little food for weekend thought:
     "Real prayer comes not from gritting our teeth but from falling in love."  Richard Foster
     From Christy Nochols song, "Be Loved"--
             Have you ever let yourself be loved, by the One who made you?
             Have you ever told your soul to believe that His heart is on your side?
             You can even try to run away, but there's nothing you can do--
             So just be loved
             Be loved, He loves you
             Have you ever let yourself be held by the One who holds this world?
             Have you ever let your soul rejoice that His arms are open wide?
             So just be held
             Be held, He holds you
             We didn't earn it, He just chose to give it
             And it's in our resting that we rise up rejoicing
             So rejoice--You are loved
              Be loved, He loves you...
     Don't know if anyone else needed this reminder this morning--but just in case--He loves you... in your messiness and quirkiness and faultiness and selfishness.  He loves you with a crazy, limitless, redeeming, restoring, grace-saturated love of the Bridegroom for His precious bride.
     Be loved, He loves you.
     In the darkness, when you can't see the way ahead... He loves you.
     In the confusion of sorrow or tragedy when you feel like the bottom has dropped out and you're falling... be held, He holds you.  Securely.  Forever.
     In home or hospital, in holy joy or hellish despair, know that whatever you are going through, whatever your doubts, whatever your fears... He loves you and will never ever let you go.
     Might we rest in His love this day, so that even from the ashes of sorrow or sin, we might rise up rejoicing.
     O Lord Jesus, forgive us from gritting our teeth rather than simply falling into Your love, accepting Your love, trusting in Your love. Even in the darkness, Lord, help us to simply rest in Your love, trusting when we cannot see or feel that You've got us in Your arms of grace-stained love.  Thank You that we can go forth this day, whatever this day might hold, basking in the Truth that we are the beloved of the Creator, the Sustainer, the Redeemer, and the Savior of the World.
     And Father, we lift up some precious friends who are even now facing that chasm of fear and uncertainty and sorrow. O Lord, we know how much You love them... but might You enable them to know that love this day.  To fall into that love this day.  To be held by the Good Shepherd in that love this day and everyday.  Might they be loved, for You love them.
     Thank You, Lord Jesus--our Hope in the hardest of places, our Song in the midst of sorrow, our Grace in the graveyard, and our Love whose love for us is limitless.  When we can't understand, lift our weary hearts to the cross so that we might see Your love stretched out wide.  Wide as Your outstretched arms beckoning us--be loved, I love you.  Be held, I hold you. And I will never let you go.
      In You who loves us so much, we place our trust.  To God be the glory.