“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” [2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV]
Pray and seek His Face. I lost it last Sunday at church. We were singing Chris Tomlin’s “Jesus Loves Me.” (link below). My heart just felt like it was breaking, and the tears began to run. I remembered that for so long I believed the greatest of all lies, that God could not love me because of my sin, my guilt, my shame. I was raised in a church that reinforced those lies constantly – after all it was “because of me” that Jesus was tortured and crucified on that cross.
My family life was rough. My mother loved my brother best, which in her mental condition probably did more harm to him than me. I rebelled, acted out, ran away, came back, forced to confess all my sins. I skipped school, cut classes, ran around with the wrong crowd, started smoking. All the while, reminded by the marred face of Jesus on that cross that He was there “because of me.”
I was saved at 26, but it took a while for me to see the face of Jesus in a different light. It changed when someone changed one word. That one word, “because” was changed to “for.” Jesus died “for me.” That one word changed guilt and shame to a love that often takes my breath away.
I do understand that it was “because” of my sin that Jesus died, but, the greater truth now is that Jesus died “for” me. He did it for love. When I seek His face now, I see love shining toward me. My heart sometimes feels like it will explode from His love as it reaches me.
To pray and seek His face – even in repentance, is to remember that “Jesus Loves Me, He is For Me.”
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=jesus+he+loves+me+tomlin+video&&view=detail&mid=3B952958020BDD9DF9493B952958020BDD9DF949&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Djesus%2Bhe%2Bloves%2Bme%2Btomlin%2Bvideo%26FORM%3DHDRSC3
