Two Absolutes

The longer I live for Christ, the more difficult it is for me to accept easy, cure-all solutions. In my own struggles, I have found great comfort and help in two wonderful absolutes.

The first absolute is that God really loves me. God is not in the business of condemning his children. He is a loving Father who wants only to lift us out of our weaknesses.

I caught a glimpse of that love recently while walking in the woods around our ranch. Not once did I stop to consider the birds flying about, free and healthy. Suddenly, on the ground just ahead, a crippled little bird flopped around. Struggling so hard to fly, the baby bird could only flip over helplessly in the dust. I stooped down to pick it up. It was then that a familiar scripture came flashing through my mind. “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will” (Matthew 10:29, NKJV).

I once thought that verse read, “Not a sparrow falls to the ground without the Father knowing about it.” However, Matthew’s version states that no sparrow falls without the will of the Father.

You see, we are that sparrow. God is with us, even when we fall. The Father does not fall into our sin, but he does come down to our fallen condition. He does not abandon us on our way down.

Sometimes we recognize his great love only when we hit bottom. We have won a great victory if we can be convinced God loves us even in our wounded, crippled condition. Our strength is renewed by his everlasting love. Just rest in that wonderful love. Don’t panic. Deliverance will come.

The second absolute is that it is my faith that pleases him the most. “But without faith, it is impossible to please him” (Hebrews 11:6). God counts our trust as righteousness. “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3). I may not understand why he sometimes seems to take a long time to intervene, but I know he will keep his word to me.