Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:6-9 (NIV)
Our God is so totally other – “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him,” kind of other. Indeed, Scripture recounts the shocking actions of the redemption of sinful man in 1 Corinthian 5:21 (NIV) when the great Apostle writes: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Amazing. Our unrighteousness for His righteousness, our sinful natures for His perfect nature – simply amazing. What kind of God is this?
Christ is also an advocate for His people. He continually prays on our behalf. His eye and His heart are on us and with us both for our good and His glory – never one surpassing the other. He does not pay us back as our sins deserve or we could not stand. He is our Friend Who stick closer that a brother and freely and continually pleads for us on our behalf as we have no merit on our own. We can do nothing good in our own power. He knows we are weak and are subject to many stumbles and falls. And our failings and wanderings do not take Him by surprise. He is amazingly patient, not desirous for any to perish but all to come to repentance through faith in Him.
Jesus is not only our Savior but our mighty Advocate and Friend and He counts our “little” done for Him as “much”. God knows our weaknesses and His compassion was kindled towards us for our relief. Jesus is our Head, our High Priest, our Advocate, our Savior, the Captain of our souls and our Friend that sticks closer than a brother. On Him we can depend. Christ gathers His lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart – He gently leads those who have young, Scripture tells us. And we are wrapped in His compassion, mercy and grace. Those who are His are safe. When all becomes crystal clear, we will discover how He carried us through this journey on earth to our heavenly home on eagle’s wings. We often have no idea how Satan taunts the Most High asking for permission to sift His people like wheat – much as he did righteous Job. But, just as He did for Simon Peter, Jesus prays for us that we will neither stumble or fall but will have sufficient courage that Christ will be exalted in our bodies – whether by life or by death.
No strength of this world can fortify us against Satan’s assaults. And there always remains a tendency in the best of us to sin – He that is the most purified may soon be in the dirt – “But I have prayed for you,” is Jesus’ response. None of us are immune to Satan’s sieve. Indeed, the strongest of the flock are often the most susceptible – think King David and Peter, the Rock.
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all -- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:31-32 (NIV)