Banner Of Love

To get a really life-size picture of our Father’s love for us and to lead us into spirit-filled reasoning, as we feast together, I bring you this verse which was brought to me.

Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Luke 11: 11

Right away, my mind goes back to something that was stated in last week’s offerings, as references were made to the parable of the Lost Son, or the Loving Father, as it is sometimes referred to.  I quote what was written.

Having been bound over to disobedience, the foolish son, unable to help himself, goes down the expected path of pure sin, against the father. Only after he had hit rock bottom, as it were, only after he had fallen into the place of lowest degradation and deprivation, only after he admitted his utter filthiness and wretchedness that he stopped. Lost, alone, hungry and thirsty, living in pure filth and emptiness, this dead, lost child, came to his rightful mind.

I ask you now! Is this not a moment for spontaneously loud thanks and praise? Does this not move us to leap with unlimited love for Father God, as we are given the assurance that even when we are totally away from Him, because of our wretched sinfulness, we can be brought back to our senses? Don’t you want to come quickly to the place of desperation, the point of despair and the position of, enough is enough, so that you can die to all disobedience and long for home? Is there not, even now, a restlessness to die to one’s sins, and be lost in one’s disobedience, so that we too, can get up and return and hear these words of utter and complete mercy? For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. Luke 15: 24a.  Only our Father in heaven gives life again to the dead. Only He is able to find and redeem that which was lost. If that is not our Loving Father’s mercy, then what is? 

Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?

Early one morning, as I am awakened from sleep, even before I could, think a prayer even, I hear the words of a children’s hymn, from the old-time days. It’s a hymn which I have not heard or sung in ages. In fact, it is no longer in our hymnal and not known by those who teach Church School, even. In our tradition – our Church – the hymn is dead to the younger generation, teachers and leaders alike. I share it here, for two main reasons.

The first is that this hymn was lost to me, dead to me, as it was forgotten, locked away somewhere far within my mind. It was a place I could never reach on my own. However, our Teacher and Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, brought it before me. Not only that, but He gave me remembrance, so that, word for word, with childlike verve and enthusiasm, no hesitation or faltering whatsoever, all draped with a deep sense of proud pleasure, I sang this children’s hymn from the old days. 

The other awareness came clear, with a humbling lesson, which we all need to understand, learn and look ever to the Holy Spirit to bring out and work out in us. I was shown these, in simple, bright, undeniable colours.

It was the work of the Spirit Himself, absolutely nothing to do with me, who brought back to life, this lost and forgotten hymn. Think of it! I was dead to this hymn, so how could I bring life to it in me, or anyone for that matter? It is all the Spirit’s working and producing – not one bit of help or input from me, even in the smallest part.

I leave you to ponder on this humbling of thought, heart, mind and self, before we proceed with greater insights. Do you really think that you, I, or any human being, can bring back to life, renew, regenerate, revive and reinstate something to which we are dead? Never be fooled in this wise.

Let us borrow from Romans 3: 4a and respond with haste to confess. Not at all! Let God be true and every human a liar.