Divorce Recovery

The Gift for all People

by Max Lucado

"Sin, wilderness, ocean, storm, pain, exile, death -- our God is the God who Follows. Have you sensed Him following you? He is the One who came to seek and save the lost. Have you sensed Him seeking you?" (16)

"God gives us Himself. Even when we choose our hovel over His house and our trash over His grace, still He follows. Never forcing us. Never leaving us. Patiently persistent. Faithfully present. He uses all His power to convince us that He is Who He is and He can be trusted to lead us home." (17)

"There is not a hint of one person who was afraid to draw near Jesus. There were those who mocked Him. There were those who were envious of Him. There were those who misunderstood Him. There were those who revered Him. But there was not one person who considered Him too holy, too divine, or too celestial to touch. There was not one person who was reluctant to approach Him for fear of being rejected." (27-28)

"Once He felt their hurts, He couldn't help but heal their hurts. He was moved in the stomach by their needs. He was so touched by their needs He forgot His own needs. He was so moved by the people's hurts that He put His hurts on the back burner. . . . Self was forgotten and others were served by the compassioinate Savior." (31)

"Jesus knows how you feel. You're under the gun at work? Jesus knows how you feel. You've got more to do than is humanly possible? So did He. People take more from you than they give? Jesus understands. Your teenagers won't listen? Your students won't try? Jesus knows how you feel. You are precious to Him. So precious that He became like you so that you would come to Him. When you struggle, He listens. When you yearn, He responds. When you question, He hears. He has been there." (33)

"Sometimes God is so touched by what He sees that He gives us what we need and not simply that for which we ask." (38)

"The next time the fog finds you, you might do well to remember Jesus in the garden. The next time you think that no one understands, reread the 14th chapter of Mark. The next time your self-pity convinces you that no one cares, pay a visit to Gethsemane. And the next time you wonder if God really perceives the pain that prevails on this dusty planet, listen to Him pleading among the twisted trees.

"Seeing God like this does wonders for our own suffering. God was never more human than at this hour. God was never nearer to us than when He hurt. The Incarnation was never so fulfilled as in the garden.

"As a result, time spent in the fog of pain could be God's greatest gift. It could be the hour that we finally see our Maker. If it is true that in suffering God is most like man, maybe in our suffering we can see God like never before.

"Watch closely. It could very well be that the hand that extends itself to lead you out of the fog is a pierced one." (58-59)

"God couldn't turn His back on you. He couldn't because He saw you, and one look at you was all it took to convince Him. Right there in the middle of a world which isn't fair. He saw you cast into a river of life you didn't request. He saw you betrayed by those you love. He saw you with a body which gets sick and a heart which grows weak. . . .

"He wanted you to know He has been there, too. He knows what it's like to be plotted against. He knows what it's like to be confused. He knows what it is like to be torn between two desires. . . .

"On the eve of the cross, Jesus made His decision. He would rather go to hell for you than go to Heaven without you." (65-66)

"Could it be His heart was broken for all the people who cast despairing eyes toward the dark heavens and cry the same "Why?" Could it be that His heart was broken for the hurting? Could it be His desire to take on their pain propelled Him to the cross? If He could have, wouldn't He have run to the cross on behalf of all the pain in the world?

"I imagine Him, bending close to those who hurt. I imagine Him listening. I picture His eyes misting and a pierced hand brushing away a tear. And although He may offer no answer, although He may solve no dilema, although the question may freeze painfully in mid-air, He who also was once alone, understands." (76)

"Ponder the achievement of God. He doesn't condone our sin, nor does He compromise His standard. He doesn't ignore our rebellion, nor does He relax His demands. Rather than dismiss our sin, He assumes our sin and, incredibly, sentences Himself. God's holiness is honored. Our sin is punished. . . . And we are redeemed. God does what we cannot do so we can be what we dare not dream: Perfect before God." (81)

"The supreme force in salvation is God's grace. Not our works. Not our talents. Not our feelings. Not our strength. Grace is God's sudden, calming presence during the stormy seas of our lives. We hear His voice; we take the step." (88)

Romans 8:31 -- "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

"God is for you. Knowing that, who is against you? Can death harm you now? Can disease rob your life? Can your purpose be taken or your value diminished? No. Though hell may set itself against you, no one can defeat you. You are protected. God is for you. And that's what Grace means." (91)

John 13:1-5 NIV -- "It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love. The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God; so He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him."

"Behold the gift Jesus gives His followers! He knows what these men are about to do. He knows they are about to perform the vilest act of their lives. By morning they will bury thier heads in shame and look down at their feet in disgust. And when they do, He wants them to remember how His knees knelt before them and He washed their feet. He wants them to realize those feet are still clean. . . .

"Our Savior kneels down and gazes upon the darkest acts of our lives. But rather than recoil in horror, He reaches out in kindness and says, "I can clean that if you want." And from the basin of His grace, He scoops a palm full of mercy and washes our sins." (93-94)

"God is an inviting God. . . . His invitation is not just for a meal, however; it is for life." (103-104)

"He's waiting for you. God is standing on the porch of Heaven, expectantly hoping, searching the horizon for a glimpse of His child. You're the one God is seeking. . . . He wants you home. God wants you to be free of yesterday's guilt. He wants you free of today's fears. He wants you free of tomorrow's grave." (107-108)

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