He is jealous for me

“He is jealous for me,

Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,

Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.

When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions

eclipsed by glory, and I realize just how beautiful You are

And how great Your affections are for me”

– lyrics to ‘How He Loves’ written by John Mark McMillian.

Did you know one of the names of God is ‘Jealous’?  Exodus 34:14 says “(for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God)” (emphasized in Joshua 24:19, Psalms 79:5). For the longest time, I viewed being jealous as something that was bad/negative. In other words, if you are jealous, you had a problem. But there is jealousy that is justifiable. In Bill Gothard’s book, ‘Our Jealous God’, Gothard uses the example of a husband and wife. I’m paraphrasing it but I would suggest you read the book. He states that a wife who notices that her husband has a wandering eye (in other words, checks out other women) has the right to be jealous as he has vowed ‘forsaking all others’ he will cling to her and be devoted to her. How she reacts to that feeling may not be right but that feeling of jealousy is warranted. Gothard continued by saying that marriage is a ‘covenant relationship and in such a union there can be no tolerance of any competing affection….they both vowed before God that they would cherish each other and love each other with all their hearts’. She wants his eyes and whole heart therefore those vows that they made allows her to have the right to expect these things.

Just like the wife who watches the eyes of her husband, the Lord watches the eyes of my heart. When my heart brightens up more for someone or something other than Him, His Spirit grieves. His Spirit yearns jealously (James 4:5). The truth is…..my Creator, the one who created this whole world and everything in it, is jealous for me!! To cause Him to grieve….I don’t understand how I….I who have nothing…..could grieve a God who has everything. He does not force me to obey Him even though He has the power to. He did something else…..He sent His Only Son to die for me to prove His love. A God that has everything….sent His Son to be a mere man just so that I would be saved. He does not need me, He wants me! This Jealous God is all about enabling me to experience Him in my everyday walk, to grow in Him and excelling in my endeavors through His mighty power. People have this warped sense that God wants them to lead boring lives….but godly lives does not mean boring. It just means you believe that a fun life is a life in sin? A godly life means a life that knows we live by grace cause we are with sin but strives towards a life without sin. Just like Paul mentioned in Phil 3:12-14, Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do,forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

My Lord pursues me. I think that’s amazing. Now that I have tasted Him. Taken a drink from His well spring of life….my desire is to know and be faithful to Him. I falter many times but I know He does not let me go. There is nothing in life that I regret cause it has all brought me closer to Him. My prayer everyday is that I love the Lord my God with all of my heart, with all of my soul, with all of my mind and with all of my strength (Mark 12:30). Through that I know that I will always seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all other things will be added unto me (Matt 6:33).

Loved by Him xoxo