“I
JUST WANT GOD SO BAD.” I heard this
recently in a time of deep prayer from a man who wants more freedom and
deliverance from his past. He went on to
share his story with us during this time of prayer. It was not unlike many other stories that I
have heard. First, there was abuse at an
early age, then a life full of drugs and rage, which then led to violence and
time in prison. He had accepted Christ a
few years ago, but he has struggled to find victory from the past.
This
is what led to our special time of prayer with his pastor and me. As we shared and prayed for this man, I was
struck again by the power of God that is needed not only for salvation (Romans
1.16-17) but also for total healing and deliverance from every past hurt,
addiction, and sin. Two truths stick out
to me as I think of people becoming free from the past--first is our identity
in Christ; and second is understanding the incomprehensible, deep love of God.
Colossians
2:9-15 is an amazing text that is packed with truth of what Christ has done for
us. It is hard for us to wrap our minds
around these great truths from the Word of God.
Verses 9-10 of that passage talk about how all fullness of God lives in
Christ. All of who God the Father is
lives fully in Christ. That statement
alone makes my head spin. But then Paul
writes that we have been filled with Christ.
That means that the power that raised Christ from the dead is now living
inside of me, you, and anybody who has accepted Christ as their Savior. One of the first steps in our freedom from
the past is our understanding the truth that the fullness of God in Christ is
in us.
We
need to understand the deep love of God as well. This love of God can never be fully explained
or grasped. We often try to explain it
in words, but honestly it does not make sense to the rational mind. Why would God give up everything and send His
Son to enter into our mess and chaos so that we can have abundant life? The answer is love, but this love must be
much more intense than anything I can imagine.
I think that is why Paul, in Ephesians 3.18-19, prays that we “may have
strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and
height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that
you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
We
cannot fathom this love intellectually. Our
sin is too great. There is too much evil
in our world. Yet, this amazing love
does in fact win out. The love of God is
true, real, and available to all. But
this love needs to be more than understood. It needs to be demonstrated and experienced in
a powerful way.
So
in one sense, that is our job as missionaries--to help people understand their
identity in Christ and to understand the incredible love that God has for them. We want our family to be clear on these
truths in our own lives and live them out radically. As we continue to grow and live this way, we
will be able to help many in the city experience true freedom in Christ. Please pray with us like Paul prayed for the
believers in Ephesus, that we will know God’s love and be filled with the
fullness of Him. Let us all say, “I just
want God so bad!”
