A Clearer View At The Back

I have always been that person who has no issues of having to sit at the front pews during Sunday services. I would go straight to occupy the front seats in church whenever I can. Just recently however, owing to the mandatory overtimes that have affected my Sat-Sun schedules, I have resorted to sitting at the back, not wanting to disturb others when I had to leave 30 minutes earlier before service ends. 

Sitting at the back, sure it didn't have this "one-on-one" feeling I get when seated at the first few rows, it didn't have the unobstructed view of the pulpit, there was a conscious fight of distraction that I wouldn't very much have to worry about when in front, however sitting at the back gave me a fresh view of who God is; that He is transcendent and actively at work even to the souls seated in the last, often unnoticed seats at church.

A few seats away from me was this noticeably huge-for-his-age teenage boy, and together with him was what I reckon is his mother. I'd like to call him John. Let's call him John. John's aura was unusually very friendly, shaking hands of every passer by and even shook my hand twice in occasion. I smiled at him, and so did most of the people near our seat. However good his mother is at maintaining her composure, her body language gave it away that her patience was slowly wearing thin. At that time, I thought to myself, Wow, how amazing God's love is. How great is patience towards us. How great is his grace. During worship, I glanced their way and I see him singing the songs a little louder than the rest but still, it touched my heart. If it touched my heart, how much more God's? I began to praise God more when I realize, we are all fallen beings. Perhaps just different version (I say 'version', not 'degree') of depravity from one another, but we are no different from John, we are altogether depraved. We are in need of a savior, a loving Father who is patient, a loving Father who understands our depraved nature and sends for us a Savior.

I remembered this quote from Rosario Washer's twitter account, it goes:

"He cannot refuse you. As I read in an old Puritan this week, he says, "Come to Jesus, sinner; and if you are lame, come lame; and if you say you have no feet, come on your stumps. Come as you can, for he cannot reject you till he denies himself. He must cease to be faithful before he can reject any sinner that comes humbly to rest upon him." Try him to-day, you aged people! Seek him, and he will be found by you. You young people, turn not your backs upon him! and you in middle life, O close in with him this day, and may he give you the water of life!"

Not only that, together with me at the back were the first timers at church - those who have the look of hesitancy but eagerness in their faces,  those who are seemingly apprehensive to raise their hands during worship, who don't yet know what quite to make of this, but here they are. Probably some of these faces are backsliders, who have been cold at some point in their Christian walk, and its their first Sunday to come back and may have been so afraid and ashamed of their selves but still, by the Holy Spirit's working, they are back again, worshiping, praising God, hearing his word once again, coming back to their first love. I look at these people and I see a reflection of myself. Like a baby learning their first steps, and God as a Father who is ever patient with a heart full of excitement and encouragement saying "... do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. " (Isaiah 41:10) He truly is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. (Psalm 103:8)

I felt so humbled at the experience God put me through. If anything, it strengthened my faith in him, it edified me, it encouraged me, as God made himself manifest to me in that way. The more I know him, the more I fall in love with him. The more I know him, the more I want to know more of him. If God showed a portion of his being on that experience to me, I cannot imagine what grand it must be for Moses to taste God in a more intimate way (Exodus 33). My face is glowing, how Moses' face must be a thousand times radiant! Oh God, God of the universe, YAHWEH, what's not to love? The LORD is amazing in all his ways. My heart is bowed down, in awe and reverence of the works You do.

Romans 8:38-39 says,
"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Indeed, absolutely NOTHING can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord..Not even that disability you or your loved one has, not your backsliding, not your unsure heart (2 Timothy 2:13), not even a few seats back during Sunday service.


What a God! Praise His holy name!