LOVE LIFTS

Daniel 9:1-11:1; 1 John 2:18-3:6; Psalm 121:1-8; Proverbs 28:27-28

“Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. And the man said to me, ‘Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.’ When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling. Then he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me.’”

“Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us. But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit and all of you know the truth. So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies.”

“The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm
 and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.”

“When the wicked take charge, people go into hiding.”

After some thirty-five years of being together, I am ashamed to say I do not remember where my wife-to-be and I were the first time either of us declared our love for the other. (I do remember being the first to say it, and I most definitely remember it was not reciprocated at the time, but that’s not important right now.) What I do remember most vividly of all that early courting boils down to just one thing. It finally dawned on me that I could truly and unreservedly love, because I knew (even though she wouldn’t say it then) that I was loved the same way. That revelation, to me, remains one of the most singularly affecting, miraculous mysteries in my life.

Love has never been an especially easy thing for me to accept at face value, probably because I always felt so much of what people called love was conditioned on performance. Young though I was, even I could work out that “love” given because others make us happy or do what they are supposed to do doesn’t really count for very much. Love that matters, love that changes the world, is love in spite of, and not love because of. What I did not understand, and could never have accepted then, was that love “in spite of” could ever truly be, much less last for a lifetime.

Thus, when after lo those many months (or weeks or days, but who’s counting?), my sweetheart finally did reciprocate, I remained terribly insecure. As in, for years afterward. Even after we were married and sworn to each other for life, I would still pester her with a very silly question, “Do you really love me?” She rightly refused to answer, forcing me to accept the idea – or not – that love for her was neither a conditional nor a sometime thing. Once she made the commitment, there was no turning back, ever, and no justification for quitting. I still consider every few days what wondrous love this is that so blesses us. I still don’t fully understand it, either. But I have come to accept it. I know what it feels like to be loved perpetually and unconditionally. And I have learned one more thing as well from my wife. Love lifts; it raises the objects of our affection high, in spite of whatever they may have done or not done. Consequently, love is most clearly not always easy or instinctive. Love is as much an irreversible intellectual dedication to the best interests of another as it is anything else that has ever been written about it, including 1 Corinthians 13. And I’m pretty sure that if more people honestly got that, a whole lot fewer people would get away with the pale imitation most people accept or claim as love.

Today’s snippet from Daniel has moved me as few other Scriptural passages have moved me this year. Reading it sent chills down my spine. There, unadulterated by the poetry and emotion which can distract us from the commitment of true love is a real life example of what it means to love and be loved. Breaking it down, Daniel is lying face to the ground in abject fear. He knows he is not worthy to look upon, much less talk to, the Being God has sent to him. The baggage of his past prevents him from seeing himself as his Lord sees him. So, it is up to the Being to reach down and lift Daniel up. That comes first. Then come the words. “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you. Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer.”

Here, then, is how God loves. It’s not much like people do it. It’s better. But it takes some getting used to. First, He reminds us we are precious to Him. He actually cares about us, and cares what we do and what we feel. Not many people can say that honestly, and almost no one can say it consistently, or regardless of the circumstances. But God can, and does, repeatedly, if we will but listen and accept His Word for it. Second, the Lord stands us up in partnership with Himself. We aren’t in life to do it alone. The Spirit will give us His strength; all we need do is accept His love for all it is. Third, the Great I AM commands that, in His love, we are not to be afraid. Period. He frees us from fear. (Preach your own sermon about perfect love again casting out fear here.) Finally, God listens, and God responds. Isn’t that just like love? Love turns off the TV and the computer and stops messing with the cell phone when another needs to talk. God will not be distracted. Love never grinds down or wears out or requires “me” time, either.

Love that does not make another person feel better about him or her self regardless of their actions or inactions or the circumstances needs serious retooling, or another name. True love simply will not be dissuaded. And when Satan or circumstances get in the way of Love’s message, God will send a little help to get His message through.

I am not for a second suggesting love ever blindly accepts sin or its consequences. Nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, given that God is the very embodiment of all love is and does, it is safe to say love abhors sin. But still, love lifts. Love corrects sin, but love never berates in the process. Even in judgment, the Father never stoops to embarrassing His Creation, nor does He dwell on or pick apart their sin. He does not rank or grade our shortcomings, either. He knows what we usually forget: there is no point to grading or comparing sins. They’re all deadly. We are either in or out, judged or set free. So Love never, ever berates or nags; there’s just no point. Instead. Love does all it can to lift others over the sin in their lives, and give them a vision of a new life in Christ. That just cannot be done as long as we are focused on the sin rather than the Savior.

It’s fair to say Daniel reminded me a lot about love today. But it’s nothing I didn’t already know. I’ve been blessed with a couple of most excellent teachers, after all. I know how love can lift, and it is always a blessing to be so touched.