The overpowering love of God

Yesterday I met with a few friends to worship God, to eat together and then to go out into our local community  hoping to be a blessing and maybe to pray for someone God would lead us to.

Early yesterday morning I spent some time alone asking God what was on his heart for us that day. He loves when we draw near to him and He always draws near to speak. I felt God first speak about how we are the fragrance everywhere of the knowledge of Christ as he leads us amongst those who do not yet know him and then I felt God  say to honour the grace and favour that rested specifically and uniquely on each of us that were going to meet and that he would give each of us gifts. I was reminded of Santa Claus in Narnia and how he gave each of the children specific gifts that they needed for the battle. Susan, a bow and arrow, Lucy, healing medicine and Peter, a sword.

As we gathered we cleared a space and began to pour out our love songs to God, very quickly we knew God's presence with us and then my son brought a song. It was so beautiful. It was about how the Father had written an individual song over each of us before we were born, each with a different melody and harmony and how he  loved to sing it over us. He couldn't continue singing because he was overwhelmed with God's love. We all were. Later it continued and God spoke of the depth of his love and that it was like the core of the earth that was so deep, layer upon layer was the depth of his love for us. Then We began to sing harmonies and melodies that we had not sung before. God then began to give us prophetic words for one another and I remembered the gifts God had spoken about in the morning!

God spoke about arrows going to the mark and an increase of accuracy in the prophetic, about purity like the fine gold of Ophir, about childlike hearts and about evangelistic anointing and much much more. God lavished us with gifts and promises!

In the Song of Songs the maiden describes herself as a rose of Sharon. Sharon is a plain in Judea and the rose mentioned here is probably a rambling rose or some ordinary flower that is common to the area, The maiden is therefore saying I am a very ordinary person, yet cared for and loved by God. The King replies as a lily among brambles so is my love amongst the young women. She stands out to him because of her beauty, not external but her inner beauty and purity. The brambles and thorns represent cursed ground and the 'works of man' only produce thistles and thorns. Though well intentioned they are worthless as it is all about Him and what he has done and who He is and her fruitfulness comes from resting, dwelling and abiding in Him.

As a most fragrant lily the bride of Christ, the church will exude the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ in the midst of a cursed earth under the domain of darkness. As a lily amongst thorns so the church stands forth in holiness and purity in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. The bible promises that the church will grow and multiply until it has become a great kingdom and has filled the whole earth with fruit (Isaiah 27:6) God's people will be exalted above every other kingdom and nations will come to her (Isaiah 2:1-4, Rev 2:25&27) The church, Christ's beautiful lily will be changed into his likeness (1John 3:1-3) and shall reign with him. Hallelujah

God's love for us is so overwhelming and in his presence we are undone and we are changed.