The words flowed through my mind all night....
Over and over and over....
I knew I was dreaming, but it didn't stop them from coming.
When I woke up this morning, they were still there.....
"I can hear the pounding of nails........I can hear the thunder roar. There on that hillside, where wrath was poured on innocence and all my sins were paid for.....when you died for me......Jesus....when you died for me."
If it were possible to be filled with joy during a time of sleep, then last night it happened.
I do not know the "why" of those words filling my dreams....but I am grateful to God that He planted them in me.
Those words come from Hebrews 12:2 --Looking unto Jesus (or fixing our eyes on Jesus), the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Powerful images found in those words.....
Joy....
The Cross....
Author and finisher...the one who created and brought it to life, as well as the one who completed what we call our faith. The consummation of creator and creation opening the door to redemption and restoration.
I guess the two words that have the most striking contrast is "joy" and "cross". Were there ever two more words than these that did not seem to fit together? The horror of the cross..the pain, the humiliation, the complete dehumanizing drama of being nailed to a piece of wood, and then hoisted up for all the world to look upon you. Yet found next to the word cross we have the word joy. Looking to Strong's Concordance for the meaning of joy, I found that it was "pure delight". Pure delight? To be nailed to a cross? That is pure delight? No! The completion of the act was where the delight came it. Jesus looked to the greater good, not the moment of dark pain. He looked to the redemption of men and women being brought back into the Kingdom of His father. He saw down through the ages, the salvation that would be poured out on hearts once held sway to the kingdom of darkness. That is what filled Him with Joy! My salvation...my wife's salvation...the salvation of my two sons.....my two daughters-in-law and .......my two grandchildren. This joy would be repeated over and over and over as the ages rolled on.
So this morning was a present from my Father.
A present to remind me of the incredible price that was paid to redeem me.
I am grateful and thankful....
I think maybe I'll share this bit of good news with someone else.
God on you.....
mb
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