Welcome to another Sabbath!
Perhaps you are familiar with this hymn, written by Frederick Lehman in 1917. It is certainly an appropriate Sabbath song! Perhaps the stressors of the past week—including food and fuel prices—can be swallowed up by Sabbath peace and the knowledge that God, the creator and sustainer of the universe, notices you, specifically, and loves you.
The love of God is greater far Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star, And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled, And pardoned from his sin.
Refrain:
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—The saints’ and angels’ song.
When hoary time shall pass away, And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men who here refuse to pray, On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure, All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—The saints’ and angels’ song.
Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky.
If you haven’t experienced God’s love recently, may I encourage you to make space for it during these next 24 hours. Do what makes you feel closest to God, whether that be quiet time, time in nature, listening to sacred music, or time with good friends who love Jesus.
If you have experienced it, would you look for a chance to share it? 1 John 4:11-12 tells us “Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us” [NKJV]. I can think of a few people who desperately need to experience the perfect love of God. By His grace, would you be willing to be an expression of God’s love to someone you know that needs it this Sabbath?
My prayer for you is that you experience God’s love so that you can replicate its “full expression” this Sabbath day.
Shabbat Shalom!
Nate
