“No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me, draw him: and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 8:44
In the book of Jeremiah, there is a beautiful passage which expresses a very ancient, but enduring reality, concerning God and His dealings with us, especially concerning the love that He has for us. The verse of Scripture which might be called the most well-known verse in the Bible on the subject of the love of God, is John 3:16. It begins: “For God so loved the world…” The great testimony to the world of HIs love for all men is expressed in these most simple, clear, and convincing terms. We know, from an objective standpoint, that the Father gave the Son to be the sacrifice for our sins, and that faith in Him alone can save us. This is God’s way of redemption, His provision of escaping the wrath of God, and receiving life eternal by receiving the very Spirit of God. But what of tangible, subjective proof of the love of God? Is it possible for men and women, boys and girls, to be assured of the personal love of God for them? Yes, and it is revealed to us through the prophets, and by the words of the Lord Jesus. It has to do with being drawn, or attracted, to God. The individual, by the working of God, becomes aware of God, the truth of God, perhaps His presence. There is something that stirs the soul to consider, and perhaps, to seek the eternal God.
In Charles Wesley’s great hymn, “And Can It Be That I Should Gain,” he writes the following stanza: “Long my imprisoned spirit lay, Fast bound in sin and nature’s night; Thine eye diffused a quickening ray, I woke, the dungeon flamed with light; My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.” When Wesley writes of that “quickening ray” of the attention that God gives to the lost sinner, he is speaking of His work of awakening the soul to the great reality of God’s presence and power, but also, of His eternal love which is working to bring the soul out of darkness and into His most marvelous light. God, in His goodness and mercy, begins to draw the soul to Himself, drawing him out and beyond the consideration of all that is of this earth, to that which is not of this world, that which is eternal. The testimony of the love of God begins to reveal itself in a most specific way.
In the book of Jeremiah, Jeremiah writes of his own personal experience with God concerning this matter of begin drawn towards himself, and this as a proof of His love. Jeremiah writes: “The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, ‘Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore, with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” (31:3) Though speaking to Jeremiah on an individual level, the Lord was also speaking to the nation of Israel. We forget that God is love, and because He is such, He is never deterred by circumstances or the confrontation by his enemy and ours, from seeking the lost, and bringing all believers into a deep relationship, and knowledge of His love. How could it be otherwise, since the believer’s highest good is Christ Himself? To know and experience this love of God, though we are limited in our capacity to fully grasp and understand it, is God’s great objective in drawing us to Himself. (Eph. 3:19) The greatest expression of the goodness of God to man is the revelation of His love. How then do we know that He loves us? He works to draw us to Himself, working through circumstances to create a thirst, and hunger, that can only be met by Presence. The thirst and hunger that He gives is the demonstration of love.
Love’s objective is to first and foremost save the soul. The magnitude of the blessing of this love is as deep as Christ’s desire and resolve to bring us into fellowship with Himself.
Dear Father, Draw out our hearts today to know this love of God. In Jesus’ name, Amen.