Behind the Words Part 2

“His love endures forever”
Psalm 136.

We recently visited a city whilst on holiday, and in the city square there was a street preacher.  “Death is coming” he said, and then he went on to list a whole series of unfortunate ways we might meet our end.  “Judgement is coming” he said, “God will judge all…”  As I listened to his threatening words, I tried to work out why I was becoming increasingly upset by his “gospel” message. It wasn’t so much what he was saying, I obviously don’t disagree that death will come to us all one day, but it was how he was saying it.  His tone was threatening, trying to get his listeners to turn to God out of fear.

One of my favourite Bible verses, John 3:16-17, says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

God’s calling out to His children to come to Him because He loves them. Perhaps you’re also uncomfortable with the tone of the street preacher I described, but I wonder if sometimes we too read words from the Bible with a voice that isn’t God’s, but perhaps our own voice of criticism, judgement, fear, or anger. Behind the words in the Bible is the God of love: life giving, sacrificial, unending love.

Lord God, thank you that you love us. Thank you that you take delight in us, rejoice over us with singing, and want to draw us to you in an embrace of love. Help us to hear Your voice of love as we read the Bible. Amen.

Photo by Mayur Gala on Unsplash