The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe
"Bridging the Gap"
Born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ know nothing yet as we ought to know (I Corinthians 8:2). We communicate, however, with One whose "understanding is infinite" (Psalm 147:5). How is this possible? How do the eternal and the temporal have relationship and fellowship with one another?
Obviously, one party must establish, maintain, and enable the communion of seemingly disparate hearts and minds.
"O send out Thy light and Thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto Thy holy hill, and to Thy tabernacles" (Psalm 43:3).
To a race of beings completely disinterested in Him, the God completely interested in us sends forth His Spirit, His Word, and His church to call us unto salvation and relationship with Himself. Not one of Adam's fallen race would fail to hide with him in the trees if our Lord did not beckon us from our mad dash away from the only hope of our hearts (Genesis 3:8; John 6:44). Certainly, this is true of the unbeliever, who must be convinced and convicted by the Holy Spirit's calling unto the new birth. However, even after salvation and the conception of a new heart within us that desires communion with God, the Holy Spirit must still enable believers to overcome our fleshly tendency to flee to the forest, rather than "come boldly unto the throne of grace" (Romans 7:22; Hebrews 4:16). Believers play a real and vital role in our fellowship with God. He does not program our prayers. However, we all know that apart from His presence and working in our hearts, we would all end up as prayerless as the most unbelieving of sinners. "Without Me, ye can do nothing" surely includes the prayers of finite beings unto our infinite Creator (John 15:5).
Upon first consideration, this truth may seem to complicate prayer. In truth, however, it greatly simplifies the gift of fellowship with God. Acknowledging our weakness prepares us to seek His strength regarding the very heart of our bond with the Lord. "Teach us to pray" wisely requested the disciples of the Lord Jesus (Luke 11:1). Our brethren of old doubtless felt overwhelmed when witnessing the Son of God in prayerful fellowship with God the Father. Little wonder they sought teaching, as we must, regardless of how long we have known the Lord, and how much we may have prayed. However, we require far more then mere education in this most vital matter. We need His presence, His working, and His enabling to commune with a Heart and Mind far beyond our own. Thankfully, our Heavenly Father gave such a gift…
"And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father" (Galatians 4:6).
The praying Christ makes possible our prayers as we acknowledge His strength and our weakness regarding the matter. His "Crying Abba Father" within our hearts serves as the basis for our fellowship with the Father as we trust and submit to Him. It could not be otherwise as the seeming impossibility of God and man communing with one another becomes actual as we avail ourselves of yet another measure of grace provided through the Lord Jesus. Ever and forever, He bridges the gap between God and man, uniting the Infinite with the finite, and making possible the fellowship for which He made and redeemed us.
"How then can man be justified with God?… Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
(Job 25:4; Romans 5:1-2)
Weekly Memory Verse
"I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin."
(Psalm 32:5)
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