Matchless, Unbroken Companionship

“And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!”  Isaiah 30:18 Amplified

I don’t know how many times I’ve read this verse, even in the Amplified version, yet I’ve not noticed the phrase: His matchless, unbroken companionship.  God, the Creator of the universe, wants for the two of us to have an unbroken companionship – as in never apart, never wondering where the other one is or what the other is thinking or doing.  The idea of this companionship is so lopsided, in my mind, because it includes the matchless One and me; but, He declares in His Holy Word, not mine, that this is just a part of what I will receive as I wait for Him.  As if that’s not enough, He longs to make this real in my life!

God has not been withholding Himself from me.  It’s just that I’ve been willing to settle for so much less of Him and His companionship.  I’ve been satisfied with coming and going, as I would with an earthly friend.  He is known as Friend, but He greatly desires for it to be so much more than I have allowed!  I have given other things the place that belongs to Him alone; yet, He has continued to wait, always expecting me to return to wait, look, and long for Him.  As I consider this, I realize that He is already pouring out His mercy on me – before I ever recognized my need for it.  How thankful I am for His ways!  Romans 11:33 in the NIV says what I can’t:

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”

I don’t want to settle any longer for less than my Father’s matchless, unbroken companionship.  It’s time to make some adjustments in priorities and focus, so that my eyes and mind are fixed on His Word, and I am earnestly waiting for Him – expecting, looking, and longing for all He is and all He longs to be for me in my life!

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A Feast Awaits

I want to consider a well-known story of Jesus’ life found in Matthew 14.  Jesus had just heard about the murder of John the Baptist.  Feeling the pain, as any of us would, He went away by Himself in a boat to be in the Presence of His Father while mourning the loss of His beloved friend.  Because He ministered as a man filled with the Holy Spirit, not as God, Jesus understood His need to be refueled and refreshed before continuing to minister all the Father had for Him.  It’s a good thing He did, too, for He was no longer alone when He landed the boat (v. 14).  Many people had followed Him and were waiting there for His return and ministry.  Contrary to what we might have done in similar circumstances, Jesus didn’t ask them to leave Him alone to tend to His personal need.  He had compassion and pity on the people, seeing them through the eyes of His Father.  It was from that place He ministered to them, healing all their sick.

Certainly, this lesson of my Lord’s dying to His fleshly needs challenges me to do likewise, but the impact of what I saw as I continued reading is the main point of this blog post.  Think about the people who have come to Jesus in this place.  From what I can gather, they only followed Him because they wanted a specific thing from Him, a healing.  It appears, though, that they remained with Him even after receiving their healings.  Why?  There was something about being with Jesus that made them willing to remain in His Presence, even after receiving that for which they came.  What was the result of their lingering with Him?  Jesus took the opportunity to give them more than they expected, meeting their physical hunger with a miraculous feast of fish and bread!  As if that weren’t enough, He not only gave them enough merely to stave off their hunger, but they all ate until satisfied, with twelve baskets full to spare!  (v. 20)

Now think about this from Jesus’ perspective.  He came to earth to do the will of His Father, and to do it completely.  (John 4:34)  Even though He came from heaven, He spent much time in the Father’s Presence while here among us.  He needed to seek the Father’s will for each day, and also needed to be re-filled with the Holy Spirit so He would be anointed to do all that the Father’s will required.  If He hadn’t stayed out on that boat alone with the Lord as long as He did, perhaps He wouldn’t have been in position, spiritually and emotionally, to have heard and obeyed every detail of the Father’s plan in this remote place.  He might have sent the people away without the food, and the lesson of God’s abundant provision for those who trust Him!  But He didn’t.  He lingered with His Father, and He received all He needed to give to and for us!

If Jesus found this the only way to live fully the life He was here to live, why do we think we can live any other way?  The people in the wilderness, not even having the benefit of being born again, were willing to stay in the Presence of Jesus beyond making their immediate needs known, and without expecting anything more.  If we’ll only learn to wait, enjoying those precious moments in His presence, how much more of Him will He be able to impart to us!  How much more fully will we know, and be able to do, the will of our heavenly Father – just because we have waited on and with Him!  As those in the wilderness found, so we will find there is a feast that is more than enough for us!    

Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)  “But they that wait upon the Lord  shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”