Why Not Me?

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!” (Lu 13:34 AV)

 

One wonders how much the LORD has pled with us!  Despite their record of persecution against the messengers of God, He still desired to reconcile them unto Himself.  However, I am going to consider a different angel in this verse.  When we feel as though God cannot forgive us, just remember His desire for Israel.  We have never killed the men of God, yet we think if we fail, somehow God will never accept us again.  If He can forgive murderers and still desire to reconcile with them, why do we think He would want any less from us?  If God can accept the thief on the cross, why can’t He accept us?  If God can save a murderer and persecutor of God’s people like Paul, what makes us think our actions somehow have run out of the grace of God?  If the LORD desired to make Israel right with Him, He wants no less with us!

I cannot help but see the patience and compassion of God on the erring soul.  The picture is a good one.  A brooding hen must work awfully hard to gather her chicks when they cannot see a threat.  They are oblivious to the predator that lies just beyond their sight.  Their lives are consumed with finding feed and exploring their world.  To watch a brooding hen try to gather chicks that see no point is hard to watch.  She gives out chirps.  She gives out warning yelps.  She runs around with her wings outstretched.  All to warn her chicks there is a danger of which they are unaware.  All to no avail.  They scamper about with not a are in the world.  They waddle off in no logic pattern.  The hen runs frantically after them and as she works her brood one chick at a time, she encloses the rest in her wings.  There is always one little chick that makes this extra hard on mom.  That one little chick will not cooperate.  But mom never gives up.  She does all she can do to gather up all her chicks so the fox or weasel cannot harm them.  She goes the extra mile to ensure as many as can reach safety do so.  

We have the nasty habit of cutting the grace of God short.  We think we are unforgivable.  We think we are not worth the effort.  We feel we have made one too many mistakes and the patience of God wears out.  This is simply not so.  Our feelings are not a reliable source of reality.  We may feel like a total failure.  We may feel like we can never be forgiven.  But that is not the case.  No matter what we have done, the grace of God can forgive us completely and totally.  There are cruel enemies out there the greatest of which is the Devil.  We have the world and the flesh.  These enemies of the saint have one thing in common.  They want us to live in defeat.  If any one of them can convince us that we have run around too much and avoided the outspread wings of our LORD, then we will scurry away right into the arms of the Lion who desires to consume us.  If we can convince ourselves God doesn’t care, then we will stop caring as well.  However, as long as we accept the truth as illustrated above, then we can return unto the loving arms of our gracious Father and be free from the threats of the adversary.  His love cannot be measured.  His forgiveness cannot be shortened.  His compassion for us has no equal.  All we need to do is run to the outstretched arms of a passionate God who will guard us against all that seeks to do harm.