The Wreckless Love of God

"There's a wideness in God's mercy
I cannot find in my own
And He keeps His fire burning
To melt this heart of stone
Keeps me aching with a yearning
Keeps me glad to have been caught
In the reckless raging fury
That they call the love of God"

Rich Mullins wrote a song about the Love of God that has a line about His reckless love for us, a raging fury of passion that overwhelms & sustains. My son misspelled a word while quoting some lyrics and that spawned a whole line of thought.

My first reaction was to correct his spelling (not cool on facebook, particularly from a parent) and then I thought maybe Rich Mullins did that spelling deliberately...wreckless is certainly part of what God intends for us. In Romans 8, He promises that ALL things work together for good. Such a little word with such a big definition! All things? All the litany of woes and desolation that bitter people bring up to refute the idea of a God in control?

You have to keep reading, to see that goal He has: that we would become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren. We are not alone in the waves that threaten to drown us, we are in the ocean of God's love for us and no matter what happens next, the last thing will be eternal life with Him and all those who are His bride.

We have been being tossed around in some storms here in PA. Dave had sudden open-heart surgery to replace one valve & repair another. It was truly sudden, with few indications of the severity of the problem. Now we are dealing with his recovery, paperwork from bills, that crazy medical billing system in the US, and considerably less income. I got a book that was touted as excellent to help with the recovery issues from heart surgery...and the funniest thing about it has been that Dave can't identify with the author much!

That author has been terrified he would die, afraid to sleep, afraid his wife would leave him since he is 'damaged'. Dave has been stunned, but not afraid. He has had to make adjustments, as I have, but we are not terrified of death and widowhood. I'm glad I don't have to deal with it yet but I know God will get me through it. We feel overwhelmed at times, and yet God sustains us. Even when we get tossed into the waves, it has been good to know Him better and hasn't been a wreck. What is the difference? Knowing God a little vs not knowing Him at all.