The Lavish Love of the Lord

"The Lord within her (Jerusalem) is righteous; He does no wrong. Morning by morning He dispenses His justice, and every new day He does not fail..."
Zephaniah 3:5

Love - it is one of the many great attributes of the Lord. And it is one of the most endearing qualities of God because it signifies His moral and spiritual superiority over mankind. Humanity fails miserably to generate, or exercise, love. Our corrupted version of it is essentially a falsely glorified conditional emotion-based act. But the lavish love of the Lord is not tentative, nor is it tempted to come and go. It is available every morning, no matter how horribly we miss the mark of God's holy standards. And this truth is glaringly apparent in Zephaniah 3:5. 

The book of Zephaniah is a somber read to say the least. It draws attention to the despicable lifestyles of the nations that surrounded Judea. Philistia is called out. Amnon is called out. Moab is called out. Cush is called out. Assyria is called out. And even Judah itself is called out. God rightly railed against the corporate sins of the people. They had many shortcomings including: lacking a reverence for the Lord, lacking respect for God's Word, and lacking the resolve to spiritually enthrone the Lord above the wickedness, wealth, and worship of this world. Because of this, God laid out the indisputable fact that the collective disobedience of the earth was vast. In other words, He waylaid everyone's involvement in the heinous events, especially Judah's elders, prophets, and priests. But in the midst of God's rebuke for the vileness of this spiritually diseased environment He provided one of the most inspirational verses in all of Scripture (Zephaniah 3:5). 

In Zephaniah 3 God spoke about Jerusalem, the city that represented His light and very presence (in the temple). Sadly, Jerusalem, at this point in history, had become a harbinger for officials and religious leaders who had long abandoned a desire to humbly fulfill their obligation to pursue integrity or labor towards God-centric work. Therefore, Jerusalem was plagued with a pervasive cold-heartedness. But despite all of this God declared in Zephaniah 3:5 that He was still within Jerusalem, dispensing justice, and displaying His righteousness day after day. 

Zephaniah 3:5 beautifully underscores the lavishness of the Lord's love. The people of Judah, by and large, had entrenched themselves in rebellion and rejection of God's command. They willfully and willingly turned their backs on the Lord's kindness and compassion by performing profane acts and submitting allegiance to fake gods. And yet God remained faithful to Judah. Loving and leading. The Lord never relinquished His covenantal oath to Abraham's descendants. God, Who does no wrong, remained committed to Judah/Israel even though they brazenly abandoned Him, confirming that God's love is not tentative nor is it tempted to come and go. It is available every morning, no matter how horribly we miss the mark of God's holy standards. The Lord's divine disposition overflows with steadfastness and loyalty.

An incident a few nights ago put this concept in a new perspective for me. My two oldest children were playing together when a tragedy occurred, at least by their standards. Having just completed my daily biblical study in the master bedroom I was preparing to go check on the kids, but was suddenly interrupted by the wailing sounds emanating from my son. Before I could get very far, my son burst into the master bedroom and announced that his sister had purposefully taken one of his planes and smashed it on the ground, breaking off a wing and a tail fin. Within seconds my two oldest children were engaged in a back-and-forth debate. My son claimed that his sister had maliciously damaged his toy, and my daughter claimed it was an accident. I was able to maintain calm throughout the sibling strife and reminded my daughter that she would expect her brother to be careful with her toys, so she should respond in kind. Apologies were exchanged (between the children) and the momentary battle was swiftly ended.

But my son remained quite vexed by the state of his plane. As I put the children to bed I repeatedly fielded questions from him about the plane. "Do you think it can be fixed Dad?" "How soon can you work on it?" "WIll it ever be the same?" Bear in mind, this was a wooden plane that was purchased by my wife at a consignment sale some weeks prior. And even though it cost less than a couple of dollars my son had clearly made a emotional connection with this mock aircraft. I was tempted to just chuck the toy and go buy a new one, but the genuine internal ache of my son was compelling. Before I said "goodnight" to the kids, I told my son I would attempt to glue the plane soon. When I got back to the master bedroom I was overcome with exhaustion. Every fiber in my being yearned to just lay down on the bed and relax. I wanted to check some emails, and perhaps watch a show on TV. But I could not escape my son's desire to see his plane restored to the way it once was. So rather than lounge in bed and save the plane project for another day (that might never come) I went and grabbed some glue and got to work on my son's damaged toy. Within ten minutes I had the wing and the tail fin reattached. 

I then took the rehabbed plane into the children's bedroom and said, "Check this out." I made the aircraft fly circles in the sky and made ridiculous noises in the process. My son's eyes lit up. I could tell in that moment he was so thankful that I had taken the time, and effort, to fix something he feared could never be restored. A little while later, I walked out of the kids' room completely revitalized and energized. One tiny act...one  major impact. But as I headed towards the master bedroom I sensed a greater lesson being imparted to me. The Holy Spirit was non-verbally communicating wisdom and knowledge. That seemingly fractured plane was like my life. I tend to find myself, at one point or another, broken, whether it be from the guilt of self-induced mistakes, or the pressure of external forces. And I tend to also find myself feeling undervalued or unnecessary in the world around me. But when I turn to God and allow His glorious presence to renew me He mends the shattered pieces of my life and restores me. He takes me and utilizes me, even though I am wholly unworthy of His affection or attention. A tiny, inexpensive toy plane offered me a God-focused application that I hope to never forget. And it confirmed, yet again, that the love of the Lord is a truly lavish love.