salvation Archives

A Crown in His Hand

There has been a lot of buzz lately about a certain monarch reigning for 70 years.

So when I read Isaiah 62:3, it got my wheels turning.

You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord
And a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
Isaiah 62:3

This metaphor is about Israel.

You know, Israel.

The unfaithful, ungrateful, wicked one.

Sounds a lot like me.

But neither of us stays that way.

He makes beauty from devastation.

He turns us into gems:

Priceless, treasured, awe-inspiring.

But what really caught my eye is where this crown is.

You see, right now, Queen Elizabeth’s crown jewels are kept in the Tower of London.

They haven’t been stolen since 1671.

Pretty good record.

But not perfect.

And who knows when someone will steal them again, or a natural disaster destroys them?

They will eventually burn up.

In contrast, we are kept eternally safe.

Not under glass and guard,

But in His hand.

“My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
John 10:29-30

Praise God not only for gloriously saving us, but for keeping us.

A crown in His All-mighty hand.

I Cried with My Babies

He turned purple in an instant.

A confused whimper roared into a full on scream.

He shook and tried to curl up into a ball.

I held his little arms and told him it would be okay, as tears rolled down my cheeks and soaked my mask.

I knew I couldn’t take away his pain.

Even worse, I let it happen to him.

Finally, I could pick him up as they disposed of their needles.

I scooped him in my arms and held him close.

I whispered my apologies and reassurances as his sobs slowly subsided.

I asked how many parents cried as hard as the child and the nurse nodded,

“I cried with my babies.”

I didn’t expect such a visceral reaction.

Just a few days before, my aunt asked me if I felt distressed when my baby cried.

“No, not really, because I know I can usually comfort him and meet his needs.”

Well, now I knew distress.

I could comfort him afterwards, but that didn’t take away the pain he felt.

I would’ve taken the shots for him, but it doesn’t work that way.

And it wasn’t that way at Calvary.

The pain and sorrow of the world was on His shoulders.

He bore in His body the weight of sin.

Now I understand, just a little bit more, of the Father’s heart.

He watched as His Beloved Son suffered.

But He could not comfort Him.

While I could hold my son close and soothe him,

God the Father had to turn away from His Son’s distress.

The ground trembled and shook and tore apart.

I think that was a reflection of His heart.

This agony was endured by the Son and the Father,

And it was done for me.

Such love and sacrifice humbles and rejoices my heart.

Christ’s death on the cross means life for me.

Because of His distress, I will be comforted forever.

Hallelujah, what a Savior.

The other weekend, Joshua and I decided rather spontaneously to check out our city’s World Food and Music Festival. Booths lined the streets and tasty smells filled the air from various cuisines around the world. Filipino, Ecuadorian, Vietnamese, Moroccan, Peruvian, Laotian, Nepalese… to name a few.

We found a Bahamian flag (the homeland of my husband) but sadly, no Bahamian food vendors.

Still, we enjoyed ourselves as we walked around. Each vendor had lunch entrées, but they also had a “taste item” for $1.

These taste items were hit-or-miss. I’m not talking about flavor – all of them tasted good… but often the portion size was just a mouthful. One, maybe two bites. I guess that was the point, after all, but in each case, I wanted more of it.

But neither the wallet nor the belly were the right size to order more of each item. We ended up getting a couple of entrées to split, and by the time we went home, our bellies were fuller and our wallet was lighter.

The experience left me thinking about two passages in God’s Word.

First:

“O taste and see that the Lord is good!”
Psalm 34:8

There was no question as we took tiny bites to share each booth’s taste item… the food was good. It’s the same with the Lord – just the smallest experience of Him should leave us doubtless of His goodness.

But while the taste item was limited (and tiny), the Lord doesn’t give Himself like that. He pours out His goodness upon us. Psalm 65 speaks of the bounty and overflowing blessings that the Lord gives to the earth. Physically, but also spiritually.

Another difference is the cost.

$1 at each booth adds up pretty quickly! But the Lord gives of Himself freely.

“Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost.”
Isaiah 55:1

If the food vendors at the festival gave away the food for free, they wouldn’t make any profit. They would actually be in the red, since they would have paid themselves for the food to be given away.

Isn’t God generous?

It’s not that life doesn’t have a cost – it’s that God has absorbed the cost Himself.

He gave up His only Son – infinitely precious – to be able to offer eternal life to us for free.

But so many people pass Him by.

They don’t hear or don’t want to hear His call.

Taste and see that He is Good!

Come and take what He is giving.

You’ll never find anything sweeter.

Tag: salvation

A Crown in His Hand

I Cried with My Babies

Taste Item