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Can You Hear His Heart Beat?
by Karin Paparelli
Bethlehem, 2000 years ago. A baby's cry breaks the silence as our Lord
becomes Emmanuel. Leaving all the glory of heaven behind, He wraps his
divinity in our frail humanity and draws so very near. His heart is exposed
for all to see, you can almost hear the angels gasp as the King of Kings
and Lord of Lords chooses such a humble approach for His visit to earth.
I still find it so amazing that God Himself would leave His majestic surroundings
and subject Himself to His own creation. His love is beyond what we can
fathom. He gave all that he had; suffered injustice, rejection, humiliation,
betrayal, torture, imprisonment and death to bring us near. He gave it
all because of His great love for us. And what does He ask in return?
That we love Him above all else and that we love each other as He has
loved us. But how can we possibly love like that? He is God. We are mere
men, suffering all the inadequacies that accompany humanity. He is perfect.
We are not. He is all knowing. We, well, we are most assuredly not! And
yet not only does He call us to His side, but He also equips us to be
there. Jesus, Himself, covers our guilt with His redemptive love. He empowers
us to love both Him and each other through the strength of His Holy Spirit
dwelling within us. So that which He asks of us is only possible by His
provision for us. With this is mind He comes near. And although He could
have come in the full grandeur and majesty due to the king of the universe,
instead He chose the form of an innocent child; vulnerable, approachable.
Here we are, 2000 years later, with the holiday (Holy day) season upon
us once again; beckoning us to draw near to the stable, draw near to the
manger, draw near to the child who is King. This year it seems He's calling
us closer than ever before. Close enough to hear the whisper of His voice,
close enough to hear the beat of His heart. How close must we be to hear
His heart beat?
As a La Leche Leader (coach for nursing mothers) I learned that a newborn
baby longs for the closeness of it's mother from the moment of birth.
In a strange and unfamiliar world, the infant searches for the gentle
reminder of a simpler time. Of a time when he and his mother existed in
perfect harmony. So many times an irritable infant needs nothing more
than to have the soothing rhythm of his mother's heartbeat near. Sometimes
the roles are reversed and it is the mother who is soothed by the infant's
steady heartbeat.
When my youngest child was born, he was a miracle indeed. Following delivery
he was blue and still and we feared he would not live. My husband laid
his hands upon his lifeless body and declared, "In the name of Jesus
you will live" and at that moment my son spit and sputtered and cried
his first cry. For the remainder of the day I couldn't sleep. I was exhausted,
yet I was preoccupied with the sound of this tiny one's heartbeat. I laid
his little body on top of mine and kept my face close to his torso to
listen to the reassuring sound of his heart beating strong.
To hear another's heart beating you need to be very close. The same is
true in order to hear the Lord's heart beat, you would need to be real
close; close enough to lay your head upon His chest. Can it be that the
God of all creation, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings would welcome
that kind of intimacy from us? Yes, I do believe that is His very desire
for us. To be so close to Him that we are reassured by every beat of His
magnificent heart. I believe that we too long for a simpler time; a time
of unbroken fellowship with our Father, a time of living with Him in perfect
harmony.
He has done the work, he has made the way for us to come close. He has
broken the chains that bind us, setting us free to know Him. He is waiting
for us with patient tenderness to come and rest our head against Him.
To release every care and concern, for a time, to just be with Him. Crisis
can be found everywhere these days from the US presidential election to
the conflict in the middle east, it is easy to lose your peace. It is
so essential for us to keep our eyes fixed on eternity; to keep running
the race with our mind set on the goal that awaits, our treasure in heaven.
Jesus said that we needed to be careful not to let the cares of this world
weigh us down. He wasn't suggesting that we don't care. He was warning
us that it is so easy to become anxious and distressed in a world that
seems to be going crazy. The only way to keep your self from fear and
discouragement is to let the peace of God reign in you. It is a conscious
effort to keep your mind fixed on things above, but we know that the battle
is won or lost in the mind. That is the greatest spiritual battlefield.
What happens there determines how you will respond to those around you
and how you will react to circumstances daily.
I know of three ways to keep our minds fixed on Him and His peace. We
need to spend time meditating on the Word of God. We have been given God's
heart through His love letter to us, the Bible. As we let the Holy Scriptures
saturate our thoughts we will have the ammunition required to fend off
the enemy when he comes bringing lies and deception. We also need to worship
the Lord every day. Don't rely on how you feel. Our emotions will often
times keep us from entering in to the Father's presence. Don't let your
feelings hinder you from singing hymns of praise and songs of thanksgiving.
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, in a crowd or all alone. Lift up your
voice in praise and your attitude will align with heaven. The Word of
God says that God inhabits the praises of His people. Invite Him in where
ever you are. One final thought which I can't stress enough: PRAY! Spend
time just communing with the Lord. Crawl up onto Abba Father's lap and
pour out your heart. Kneel before the King and pay homage to Him. Walk
with the Savior and tell Him your troubles. Bring your petitions to the
Righteous Judge. Cry out before God for those you love. Just come.
As you spend time with the Lord everyday in prayer, in worship, and in
the Word He will draw you close to Him. And in that secret, quiet place
you just might be close enough to hear the beating of His heart.
This holiday season and all through the new year, may you walk in His
grace. Thy kingdom come!
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