Does Your Soul Rejoice?



God's love cannot be explained, only experienced...

If I were to describe what it feels like to experience what the Bible describes as “The peace that passes ALL understanding,” I would only be able to compare it to that warm feeling you get when you are cold and you snuggle down deeper underneath an electric blanket… Or the feeling of seeing someone you love and have been away from for a long time, when you run into their arms and give them not just an ordinary hug but a big ol’ bear hug and you feel their arms tightly around you and your arms are tightly around them and you just know that you don’t want to EVER let go…

Even those two analogies are inadequate.  Honestly, it is the reason why David danced before God!  To know personally that God is REAL and that He loves you!  Truly loves you!  And to experience it for yourself – personally! So that you know that you know that you know that you know He is real!

Don’t believe me?  (I’m looking at you through my computer screen with an “I dare you” expression on my face…)  Then ASK HIM.  Right now… This very moment!  When I was 21 I challenged God.  I said to Him:

“If YOU are REAL you need to make Yourself REAL to me.  SHOW ME. I can’t believe based upon what others experience with you has been. SHOW ME. REVEAL YOURSELF TO ME or I won’t believe.”

And you know what? HE DID!  He made it personal!  He showed me that He wanted a relationship with ME.

If someone loves you, their actions should complement their words, right?

ASK HIM.

Don’t ask Him because I’m asking you to ask Him.  Ask Him because YOU really want to know.

I can honestly tell you that when you experience this personal love with God, all the rest of the world fades away and you find it is only you and Him.  That to me my, friend, is the difference between “being religious” and having a personal relationship with God. There is a big difference between experiencing a personal relationship with God or simply being “religious.”  I believe you can find proof of that in Jesus’ conversation with the Pharisees.

Jesus replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions. And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!” (Mark 7:6-9)

Where is your heart? What is it telling you as you read these very words upon your screen? come on, right now it is just YOU sitting there, I can't see your thoughts or know what you are feeling.  What is your heart telling you?  What emotions are stirring up in you as you read this?  Do you long to hear from God and know that He is real? Do you long to feel loved by Him? Or do you just go to church each Sunday because it is a family tradition in your household? Out of duty or tradition? Going to church is a GOOD thing, but it does not “save” you.  There is a huge difference… One that is hard to describe unless you experience it for yourself.

You can find my own personal introduction to God in a post (refer to the postings on the side of my blog under 2010 – April, entitled “Pardon Me, I Suppose I Should Have Begun With My Testimony”) which will reveal to you how God revealed Himself to me.  He is no respecter of persons – He will do the same for you!  (ASK HIM! J)

When the Holy Spirit came before Mary and told her that plan that God had for her life, that she was to become the mother to the Messiah, she rejoiced and said:

 “My soul rejoices in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:46-47)

Does your soul rejoice? When you consider your relationship with God, do you get a “warm fuzzy” feeling?  Once you personally experience the love of God and realize how MUCH He really does love you, it is the greatest feeling in the world.  It helps you to understand why in the book of Revelations:

“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, Who was and Is and Is to come!” (Revelations 4:6)

True worship of God is a real desire.  It is not one where you are “dutifully” repeating what someone else says, because they are saying it.  You are rejoicing and praising God because you truly FEEL it.  Not giving “lip service” because it is expected of you – but because you feel it.  It’s real. And its not about anyone else "telling you" what your relationship with God should be like - as I have said previously, unless you feel a confirmation in your spirit with something someone is telling you - go directly to the source - GOD.  Because ultimately your relationship is between the two of YOU.  YOU and HIM.

Think about it – when you love someone you can’t wait to be in their presence. You look forward to being with them! You can’t wait to hear how they are, how their day has been, what they are up to.  You want to touch them; you want to be with them.  You want to make them smile, to show them in whatever way you can that you love them.  Not because someone said to you, “Kelly, you WILL love this person,” but because you feel it personally and you do.  That’s the best way I can describe it.  And the best thing about loving God and being in a “personal relationship” with Him, is the fact that it is personal.  It is between YOU and HIM, no one else.  He knows you, He wants you to know Him. I’m not saying that every day is a wonderful “I-feel-close-to-God” day.  A relationship requires work. When you want to get to know someone better, you learn about them.  You talk to them, you show them.  Every day is not a “warm fuzzy” day.  But to know that He is someone that you can rely upon, no matter what you are feeling, to know that He will NEVER leave nor forsake you.  To know that He is not a God that He would lie; to know that you can depend upon Him.  That He loves you no matter WHAT your mood is; to know that He is holding your hand, EVEN when you are not trying to hold His.  Is truly something… He loves YOU prodigal, or unbeliever or whoever you are.  Your relationship is not one that should be judged by ANYONE but YOU and God.  When you come to know Him intimately, you know where you are in your walk with Him.  You know the things you need to work on (even when you have your grizzly bear moments) He’s not letting you go.  His love is not as temperamental as that of a person.  No matter what you do – He is standing right there saying, “Okay, well guess what? I’m still here.  I’m still loving you.  I’m here if you want to talk about it. I love you (insert your name). I’m not leaving.  I LOVE YOU. When you are ready to talk about it, let me know.  I’m here and I’ll wait.”

Once you allow yourself the opportunity to know Him personally and have asked Him to “make Himself REAL to you.” He will and He does.  I have known Him as my personal Lord and Savior for 28 years now.  And even having been a prodigal for 4/5 of those last years (right up until last year) – it has only made me love Him more.  I am more committed, more determined to show Him my love.  More in love with Him.  Because I have personally seen that unlike people – He is STILL there.  And He will be, for ALL eternity.  He will never leave my side. One day, I will be with Him in Heaven and I will see Him with my eyes and I will rejoice and praise God that He loved me enough to do whatever it took to make me acknowledge Him and make me see Him. And I will join all those angels in Heaven in praising Him and worshiping Him – not because I’m being “made to” but because it truly IS the desire of my heart.  Why?  Because He FIRST loved ME.  In spite of myself.

One day, all the things of this world will pass away. What if what I am writing is really true? Wouldn’t you rather TRY it for yourself and find out than discover that what I have written was real, when life is all over?  Seems to me it’s worth a try. I did it and I can tell YOU for myself – that He is the absolute love of my life, the best thing that has ever happened to me. And though I have disappointed Him by my actions time and time again (and I’m sure before my life is over I will again). He loves me.  His grace, His forgiveness, His patience, His love is the center of my world, my life and without it – that place inside of me, which God originally created for one purpose only (to be in a relationship with Him) would be empty.  When God created Adam and Eve he did it so that they could be in a relationship with Him. (Read the book of Genesis).  There is something so deep inside of you that was meant to be filled with having a relationship with God.  We make the mistake of trying to fill it with other things – but what it was meant for, was for you to have a relationship with Him. Nothing will ever take His place in your life, no matter what you try to fill it with… Don’t believe me, just ask Him. He’s waiting…

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.” (Revelations 3:21-22)