Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the One I love, in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out, till He leads justice to victory. In His name the nations will put their hope. Matthew 12:18-21.

The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” Jeremiah 31:3 NKJV.

This morning my head is swimming with two realities…the reality of this world steeped in everything that causes pain and harm; and the reality of God’s love. Surrounded and immersed as we all are in the negative news; aware of the problems loved ones and friends are struggling with, with no easy answers; financial and health concerns robbing us of peace; people choosing to cause harm and evil toward others – how can we see our way out? This morning in our Friday Retreat we talked about our unique blind spots that prevent us from learning and growing from one another and from our Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit. I realized in me it’s resisting. Resisting what is painful or unknown. And what does God tell me? Believe Him. Believe and trust God.

Our psalm written by David, Psalm 133, says it all in such a short psalm of praise: How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore. I can’t relate to the precious oil running down, but I can relate to how good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! We experienced that together in our meeting this morning and we experience it as we allow ourselves to be with friends and acquaintances without prejudices and judging. Or to put it another way as we learned yesterday, not to intrude in another’s “kingdom”. How do we do that? We force our beliefs and judgments on others not for their good but for our “glorification”. I am so guilty of that and many would point out to me that that’s what this blog is doing. Fair enough.

The first Scripture referenced here was quoted in Matthew from Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-4) about the Messiah, and listen to these beautiful words…Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the One I love, in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on Him. Our second reality. God’s love. Our 2nd Scripture: Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. God’s love. And then our psalm…For there the Lord bestows His blessing, even life evermore. God’s love!

When we open our hearts to God we open ourselves to the 2nd reality – God’s love for us. We find that love in God. Only God can love that way. And He works in imperfect, difficult to love people who have blind spots and prejudices and confusion and despair. And He tells us He loves us and He has us. Believe Him. Open your heart and look for His love already there. The reality of God’s love for us helps so much as we live in the realities of this world apart from God’s love. And the important thing is, as I am learning, let God be God. Let Him speak to hearts yearning for love. When I try to force my beliefs on others, I am intruding on their “kingdom” world just as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:1: If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. How does our God do it so well? He loves. He is Love.