A Sanctuary wherever...: Prevenient Grace

Prevenient Grace - I first heard those words and their definition as a teenager when reading AW Tozer's The Pursuit of God.

"We pursue God because, and only because, He has first put an urge within us that spurs us to the pursuit. (John 6:44)...and it is by this prevenient drawing that God takes from us every vestige of credit for the act of coming. The impulse to pursue God originates with God..."

I often think of it as grace before grace. He first gives the grace of giving us an awareness or desire for Himself that we might see the grace of salvation, relationship and intimacy that He offers us. This is soooo encouraging!! It means that anytime we feel Him drawing us near, calling us higher or into new things, it's not because we had this sudden brilliant idea or great spiritual yearning, but simply because He wanted to do a work, and He first desired us and drew us into His desire. The great news about this is that we don't have to strive or labor for it but just come willingly and agree with His plan and desire because He's already willed to do it!!

How many times I have bought into the lie that somehow I desire Him more than He desires me. I'm striving and wanting a depth of relationship, and He's holding me at arms length and not quite sure He wants me. This is such a great deception because we can only reach out to touch Him because he's holding us close enough to do so. As Tozer says: "All the time we are pursuing Him we are already in His hand." It is His delight, desire and intent purpose to draw near to us.

1. I am thine, O Lord, I have heard thy voice,

and it told thy love to me;
but I long to rise in the arms of faith
and be closer drawn to thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
to the cross where thou hast died.
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
to thy precious, bleeding side.

His voice will always speak His love to us. I think sometimes we buy into a lie that says that He is displeased with us and His voice is sure to point out all that's wrong with us, but my friends, all that is wrong with us has already been taken care of at the cross and He sees us not in our mess but through the righteousness of Christ and He is well pleased...satisfied. Not satisfaction like: "All right, I've had enough, what's next" but a deep down satisfaction of being filled and enjoying it with great pleasure. He cannot, He will not decline our desire to be drawn nearer, for it was first desired in His own heart!
His voice always speaks love...IJn 3:19-21 "This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence: if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows everything (and He doesn't condemn us!!! Rom 8:1-2) Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him." Confidence in who we are in Christ sets us free from feelings of condemnation. It is the enemy who condemns us, not our Father.

2. Consecrate me now to thy service, Lord,
by the power of grace divine;
let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
and my will be lost in thine.
(Refrain)
Once we desire and are being brought near, the automatic outflow of this is a heart's desire to serve the One who as drawn us near and our heartbeat starts looking more like His heartbeat and we start desiring more and more that which He desires so that our will is lost, taken up, consumed with His - oh beautiful grace gift!

3. O the pure delight of a single hour
that before thy throne I spend,
when I kneel in prayer, and with thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend!
(Refrain)
He know longer calls us servants but friends. He desires intimacy, and to get away and soak up His presence is peace, delight, rich satisfaction! Being drawn nearer is essentially possible by spending time in communion/communication with Him as friend with friend. He desires time with us and delights in fellowship with us even more than we do!

4. There are depths of love that I cannot know
till I cross the narrow sea;
there are heights of joy that I may not reach
till I rest in peace with thee.
(Refrain)

One day we shall know just as we also are known, and we will be given new bodies that are finally able and equipped to know and experience the fullness of love, pleasure and joy that He has to pour out on us. This side of heaven our bodies can't handle all that He has to give but He increases our capacity and knowledge of His love more and more until one day, He will complete the process by giving us new bodies when we see Him face to face that we might be able to handle and experience all that He has desired from eternity past will be fulfilled.