Christ Shows Us the Father

"Christ shewed me His Father; in no bodily likeness, but in His property and in His working. That is to say, I saw in Christ [all] that the Father is."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 22)

If we want to know what the Father is like, we can look at Jesus. He came to show us God's character and working. He is the perfect expression of God the Father, the complete image of God in visible form. The ones who have tried to explain God before were incomplete in their knowledge and in their picture of God. But Jesus, who came right from the Father's embrace in heaven, declared to us and showed us exactly what the Father is like. And this is the picture of God He gave us: a God who loved children and held them on His lap, a God who was moved with compassion for hungry and hurting people, a God who reached out to touch lepers and heal them, who loved hanging out with outcasts and failures, who never hurt a soul but always helped people, who fed those who were in need and treated as equals those society often treated unequally. And finally, He showed us a God who forgave people of every sin against Him, even the sin of murdering Him, and who reached out His arms to embrace us at our very worst and bring healing to our wounded hearts! Christ has shown us once and for all that our God is the kindest, gentlest, most loving and wonderful Father of all!

"No man has ever seen God at any time; the only unique Son, or the only begotten God, Who is in the bosom [in the intimate presence] of the Father, He has declared Him [He has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen; He has interpreted Him and He has made Him known]."

John 1:18 (AMPC)

A Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for showing us the Father!

Are You Well-Satisfied That He Suffered for You?

"Then said our good Lord Jesus Christ: Art thou well pleased [well apaid, satisfied] that I suffered for thee? I said: Yea, good Lord, I thank Thee; Yea, good Lord, blessed mayst Thou be.

[Pg 47]Then said Jesus, our kind Lord: If thou art pleased [satisfied], I am pleased [satisfied]: it is a joy, a bliss, an endless satisfying to me that ever suffered I Passion for thee; and if I might suffer more, I would suffer more."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 22)

We have gone through so much pain, sickness, sorrow and hurt since sin entered this world. We have gone through so much confusion, struggle, loneliness, anxiety and fear. We were simply born into this broken and messed up world, and we each have succumbed in some way to the trouble, pain and hurt that can exist here. And Jesus looks on each of us humans not as rebels or evil people, but as children who are hurting and wounded. He sorrows and hurts with us for all the pain that evil has caused us. He sees us not as criminals that deserve punishment but as sick people that need healing. And Jesus wants to make it up to us for all we've been through in suffering in this world. He comes down and suffers our pain and sorrow and bears it upon Himself and takes it away. And He wants to know if we are well-satisfied or 'well-apaid' by what He has done. We think God is offended and needs a sacrifice in order to be paid back for the sin we've done to Him, but Jesus tells us He is not offended but rather compassionate and touched by the pain of our sorrows so much that He wants to satisfy our hearts with His love and comfort and pay us back for all we've gone through, and that is why He offered Himself and gave up His life for us. It was to heal us, to give to us His wholeness and life to make up for all we had lost through sin. He absorbed all the evil, sin, pain, suffering and death into Himself in order to dissolve it and heal us from its wounds. And He brought us the most amazing picture of true love, love that gives up His own life for us, His friends, His family members, His dearly beloveds! We think we owe God a debt of good deeds, or contrition, or repentance for our sin, but God says He owes us a debt of love, as a Father does for His children, for all our pain and sorrow! And He asks, "Are you well satisfied that I suffered for you?" Was that enough to show that He really is on our side, not angry, but instead loves us and only wants to help us? Christ stretching out His arms on the cross is God stretching out His arms to embrace the whole of humanity and to love all our hurts away!

"For His wounds have healed ours!"

1 Peter 2:24 (TLB)

A Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank You for seeing my pain and feeling all my hurts. Thank You for giving me healing for all those pains and hurts! I am well-satisfied with all You suffered for me!

A Look of Joy and Triumph

"I verily that if He shewed now [to] us His Blissful Cheer, there is no pain in earth or in other place that should aggrieve us; but all things should be to us joy and bliss."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 21)

Christ's face is full of joy, full of 'blissful cheer.' He is smiling right now because all He suffered was worth it to bring us back home with Him! Though we had been kidnapped and held captive by sin, fear, suffering, sorrow and death, He did what it took to rescue us, save us, free us. Jesus bore our sin for us, bore our pain and sorrow for us, suffered for us, died for us, went to the grave for us, and He overcame it all! His work is finished! Death is defeated, sin is defeated, pain is defeated. We are rescued from sin's and death's clutches and safely rest in God's arms. Only victory and joy await us! If we could see Him standing right here before us, the look on His face would be one of such triumph, such peace, such joy, that we would be lifted up from all pain and filled with the same triumph and peace and joy. We would see in His countenance such love, such acceptance, such warmth, such delight, that we would melt into His arms and know that nothing can hurt us, bother us, or bring us down ever again. He is smiling and laughing and full of such joy because the victory is won and we are free from sin's power and effects, triumphant over death in His resurrection life, safe in His arms forevermore! You see, we were the prize worth dying for, we were the treasure and joy that urged Him on. The joy of having us made all the suffering worth it. To Christ, we are worth it!

"Because His heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be His, He endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God!"

Hebrews 12:2 (TPT)

A Prayer: Thank You for what You went through to rescue me. Let me look into Your eyes so I can see what I mean to You!

He Entered Into Our Suffering and Sorrow

"And for every man's sin that shall be saved He suffered: and every man's sorrow and desolation He saw, and sorrowed for kindness and love."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 20)

God could have solved humanity's problems from a distance and administered salvation from afar, but He didn't. We are His kin, His family, His created offspring and children, and He came to us. He didn't leave us to suffer alone. He entered into humanity's problems and healed them from the inside. He chose to become flesh and blood and experience all that we go through as humans on this planet. He chose to feel what we feel and saw things through our eyes. He went through what we go through, all the suffering that has come to this world through broken choices and wounded relationships. He felt all the pain we have felt and He experienced all the sorrows we have sorrowed. He entered into every sickness and loss, every tragedy and isolation. He took all our pain and suffering onto Himself and suffered and bore it, the pain we encounter living in this broken world, the pain others have caused us, and the pain we have caused ourselves through our own sins. He entered into our pain with us and suffered with and for us. He came into the darkness of our world to reach us, to cry and suffer with us, and to heal us and help us and relieve us. He wouldn't let us suffer and sorrow alone. He came. He cared. Whatever we are going through, He has been there. He has hurt with us. And He is the One who lifts us out of that pain! He is the One who heals every hurt of every person, every suffering of every heart, body and mind!

"Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering."

Isaiah 53:4 (NIV)

A Prayer: Thank You for entering into all my sufferings so I know I have never suffered alone! And thank You for being the healer of all my pains and sorrows!

Both God and Human

"He brought in part to mind the height and nobleness of the glorious Godhead, and therewith the preciousness and the tenderness of the blessed Body, which be together united."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 20)

In Jesus God speaks to us and shows us who He is and who we are. Jesus Christ is the joining of God and humanity, the place where God became flesh. He is both 100% fully God and 100% fully human. He is the image of the invisible God and thus shows in visible form what God is like. He shows us that God is all love and kindness, all beauty and grace. He shows us that God is all light, the light of pure love without a trace of darkness, evil or violence. He shows us the height and nobility and greatness of our wonderful Godhead. And at the same time He shows us what true humanity is like. He shows us that humanity is the perfect vessel to contain God's Spirit, that God is perfectly at home in the human body. He shows us there is nothing wrong with our humanity, that it is still very good, just as God made it in His image and likeness. He shows us that humans are precious, and tender and blessed, that we are beautiful and valuable and beloved. So Christ comes to show us the face of God and also the face of humans. If we ever doubt that God is truly good or loving, we can look at Jesus, fully God, and see that God truly is those things to the highest degree. And if we ever wonder if we humans are truly good or loving, we can look at Jesus, fully human, and see that we truly are those things, too. Jesus is the perfect expression of the Godhead and the perfect expression of humanity. And both are very good!

"He has spoken to us by His Son."

Hebrews 1:2 (NIV)

A Prayer: Dear Jesus, in Your eyes I see the Father's love. And in Your eyes, I also see how lovable I am!

The Worthiest Was Utterly Despised

"For He that is highest and worthiest was most fully made-nought and most utterly despised."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 20)

Christ, who deserves the highest honor and praise, who is the best and worthiest of all, was defamed, mistreated, utterly despised and made nothing on the cross. He did this all for us! We had the weight of shame and guilt from our sins on us, and He took all that into Himself and when He was made nought, all that shame and regret, all that sin and corruption, was made nought and dissolved away. He bore our sin on the cross and was made nothing in death, bringing down our sin into the grave and leaving it there, no longer to plague us! He did this for us, so we could feel clean and free from our sin, pure and right, with a clean conscience. Everything we have seen as negative about ourselves He has taken away into death and made nought. It is all gone. It is nothing. It not longer plagues us. All the shame, guilt, punishment, corruption, and death, all the sin and all the effects of sin, are dealt with by Christ at the cross as He is made nothing and makes all that evil and its effects nothing, too! What a wonderful Savior! He deserves the highest honor and praise forever!

"Jesus Christ who is fully God, becomes fully man to the extent of willingly dying humanity’s death at the hands of his own creation. He embraced the curse and shame of the lowest kind in dying a criminal’s death. From this place of utter humiliation, God exalted him to the highest rank. God graced Jesus with a Name that is far above every other name."

Philippians 2:7-9 (MIRROR)

A Prayer: Thank You, dear Jesus, for being so vulnerable and kind and showing such self-giving love, that You would die for us and take all our sins away. You deserve all the love and praise we have to give!

Spirit Over Flesh

"And in this I saw verily that the inward part is master and sovereign to the outward....the inward draweth the outward by grace, and both shall be oned in bliss without end, by the virtue of Christ."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 19)

Sometimes we can think that our thoughts, feelings, worries, and fears are so strong that they overpower us and that we have no choice but to succumb to them. But there is a deeper part to us that is always calm and steady, our spirit. The spirit (our inward part) is always stronger than the flesh (our outward part), because our spirit is one with God's Spirit, the Spirit of power, love and wisdom, the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead! So we find that continually, inexorably, ultimately and eventually the spirit will pull the flesh inward to gaze on the beauty of Christ within and be captivated, charmed and overcome by His great love, and our whole self thus united will be swept up in the resurrection life and love of Christ! Even now it is happening, and it is inevitable, so we need not fear. In fact no fear, anxiety, sorrow or anger can stand a chance against the attractive, mesmerizing tug of His wonderful unconditional love and grace. We are truly free from the slavery to sin and anguish that was in our flesh, free to live in the fresh open air of the Spirit, where we are fully accepted, fully safe, fully whole, fully loved, fully inside God's peace and love.

"And we are free to live, not according to our flesh, but by the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit."

Romans 8:4 (TPT)

A Prayer:  Thank You that my spirit is always gazing on You and that it is a promise that all my outer struggles, worries and fears will fade away in Your gaze!

Jesus Our Heaven

"The inward part is an high, blissful life, which is all in peace and in love: and this was more inwardly felt; and this part is [that] in which mightily, wisely and with steadfast will I chose Jesus to my Heaven."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 19)

Oftentimes when outwardly we are frustrated, angry or emotional, we can sense that there is a deeper, inward part of us that is not going along with those feelings, a part that is calm and steady. This inward part, our deepest self or our spirit, is always at peace and always loving. At our core we are connected with Christ and always looking to Him and receiving His love. Christ is what heaven is all about. His presence is heaven, and that is who is inside of us, His Spirit one with our spirit at all times. When the outer situations or feelings are in turmoil, we can know that our inward part dwells in heaven inside us, just being with Christ. Our truest choice is choosing Him and deep down that's what we want and desire and always choose. Just being with Him is heaven, no matter what we go through here on this earth!

"God's Spirit and our spirits [are] in open communion."

1 Corinthians 2:14 (MSG)

A Prayer: It reassures me that even if my outer emotions and thoughts are in turmoil, deep in my spirit I am choosing You, O Lord, and we are in communion!

Made Naught

"Thus was our Lord Jesus made-naught for us; and all we stand in this manner made-naught with Him."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 18)

All of creation, including all of humanity, is connected to Christ, the source of all created kinds of beings and things. He is the head, source and origin of our kind and is the one holding everything and everyone together in existence. All our being stands or exists in Him. So when He was suffering pain on the cross and dying, He who is the source of our kind and head of our human nature was representing us, and all that happened to Him affected all of us. When Christ dies and His life is 'made naught' as our source and head, we also die and are 'made naught' in Him. In that sense we all died with Christ.  And just like Christ left the things of this broken world through death, we too escaped those things through death in Him. We died to sin, pain, suffering, evil, shame, guilt, fear, anxiety and defeat. All that is of the old, worn out, tainted by sin creation has died with Christ. Christ was 'made nought,' and right along with Christ our old self, our old way of living enslaved to sin and confusion, has been 'made nought,' has come to a complete stop and come to nothing. In this way He gave us escape and victory over all the evil, suffering, lies, and confusion that bound us. How amazing that Christ took something as horrible as His death at the hands of His own creation and turned it into a complete victory over sin and evil for His own creation!

For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been set free from sin."

Romans 6:6-7 (NIV)

A Prayer: Thank You for including me in Your death and bringing to death all the wrongs and sufferings that have plagued me. Thank You for bringing me to a place of freedom from those things!

When He Suffered and Died

"The firmament, the earth, failed for sorrow in their Nature in the time of Christ's dying. For it belongeth naturally to their property to know Him for their God, in whom all their virtue standeth: when He failed, then behoved it needs to them, because of kindness [between them], to fail with Him, as much as they might, for sorrow of His pains."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 18)

When Jesus who is God the source of all creation dies on the cross, all creation shudders with death. The sky goes dark as the Light of the World hangs dying. Creation hangs its collective head in sorrow as the beautiful, loving, tender-hearted, gentle Savior willingly offers Himself to us and for us and breathes His last. And all creation stands in awe at such love that He shows, even to those who killed Him, and how He considers them innocent children who 'don't know what they are doing.' Who can imagine such love, that unconditionally opens His arms to embrace us, no matter what we do, even to the point of killing Him? Even if we kill Him, He holds nothing against us. What kind of love is this? The cross was such a turning point because now we know that He is all love and forgiveness, all gentleness and compassion, all reconciliation and embrace! This is the love we have only ever dreamed about, a love that accepts us no matter what, even when we do the most unacceptable thing imaginable - killing our God. This is a love with not a trace of judgment, not a trace of anger, not a trace of retribution. This is a love we can believe in, trust in, hope in, live in forever. This is the love of God for us!

"It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining....Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.' When He had said this, He breathed His last."

Luke 23:44-46 (NIV)

A Prayer: Thank You for showing us at the cross what unconditional love is!

A Great Oneing

"Here saw I a great oneing betwixt Christ and us."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 18)

There is a great oneing or joining between Christ and us. We are one, in union, in unity with Him. He is our Creator and all things were created through Him, and we all exist in Him. He is holding up and sustaining creation at every moment, so we are all connected with Him at every moment. And He is the source of our human nature, since we were made in His image and likeness. He is the source or image that we were made from. So we are tethered or connected with Him as our origin, the foundation we spring forth from. No matter where we are in our journey, whether we know His name yet or not, He is oned to us and us to Him, in the great connection that we have with our wonderful Creator and Source!

"He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."

Colossians 1:17 (NIV)

A Prayer: Thank You for holding all creation together. Thank You for holding me together!

His Will Is Comfort, Not Pain

"For it is God's will that we hold us in comfort with all our might: for bliss is lasting without end, and pain is passing and shall be brought to nought for them that shall be saved. And therefore it is not God's will that we follow the feelings of pain in sorrow and mourning for them, but that we suddenly pass over, and hold us in endless enjoyment."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 15)

All our pains, sorrows, hurts and distress shall pass away and be brought to nothing. And we will have joy that never ends flowing from God to us. God never wills for us to be in pain or sorrow. What He always wills for us is joy and peace, beauty and rest. It is not His will that we suffer and He never causes suffering in our lives. He is the One who is removing suffering, ending suffering, relieving suffering. Christ suffered on the cross, bearing all the pain and distress and hurt that has come to humanity, and He both bore it and conquered it for us, bringing us healing and wholeness. He is removing all our pain and suffering, both here and ultimately in heaven. His will is not that we suffer, are sick, are in pain, are lonely, are weighed down with fear or anxiety, are hungry or destitute. His will is that we are comforted, that we are at peace, that we have all we need, that we are happy, that we have endless enjoyment with Him. He will remove all our pain, and even now while that is still being worked out, we can escape within our spirit to His presence and enjoy peace, joy and rest right now. He suffered so that we would be relieved from suffering, and He is that relief for us even now!

"I am the Lord who heals you."

Exodus 15:26 (NIV)

A Prayer: Thank You that You are relieving all my pain and giving me Your comfort!

Secure at All Times

"God willeth that we know that He keepeth us even alike secure in woe and in weal [well]."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 15)

God is always with us. He is always holding on to us. He is always working in our situations to bring good. He is always keeping us. This is true when everything is going well for us and also when it seems all is going terribly for us. Sometimes we may feel very alone, and we can wonder if God is there, if He cares about us, if He has left us to fend for ourselves, if He is angry with us, if we have done something wrong to cause Him to withdraw. But no matter what we think or feel, the truth is that God never ever changes towards us, no matter what we think or feel or do, no matter what we are going through. Bad times (or bad feelings) do not mean He has left us or is angry at us. Whether in 'weal or woe' He is always there, always loving us, always for us, always graciously taking care of us, always keeping us safe in His arms. Our thoughts and feelings may change, our circumstances may change, our behavior may change, but God never changes in His stance, attitude or actions toward us. He is always present. He is always loving. He is always supportive. He is always grace. He is always keeping us secure no matter what!

"The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)

A Prayer: Thank You for always being there for me and taking care of me in good times or bad!

His Glorious Countenance

"[The] glorious Countenance of the Godhead fulfilleth the Heavens with joy and bliss."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 14)

Our beautiful God is such a happy God! His glorious countenance is one of pure joy. He is a smiling, kind, joyful, laughing God. Heaven is God's beautiful presence and it is a presence of pure joy and bliss. One look at His face of joy fills us up with joy! He fills up every moment, every space, every thought, every person with joy and happiness. In His presence we find a delightful party going on, a festive atmosphere, full of much laughter and merriment. For in His presence sorrow and anxiety and fear are all dissolved and everything is light and carefree. Our God is always smiling and joyful, and He is always smiling and joyful towards us, His dearworthy children. He celebrates us and is so delighted with us, His treasures, the favorites of all He created. He smiles because all His children will be home with Him forever, like a wonderful family reunion. He knows there is a great happy ending coming for all, and He makes us to laugh with joy at the freedom and fulfillment He brings - the fulfillment of our deepest dreams of heavenly joy, peace, love and belonging! The happiest place in the universe is in God, and His joy is radiating through everything and turning every sorrow and difficulty into pure joy for us!

"Your presence fills me with joy and brings me pleasure forever."

Psalm 16:11 )GNT)

A Prayer: It's so good to know You are a happy, smiling God! You fill me up with Your joy!

God's Great Party

"Mine understanding was lifted up into Heaven where I saw our Lord as a lord in his own house, which hath called all his dear worthy servants and friends to a stately feast. Then I saw the Lord take no place in His own house, but I saw Him royally reign in His house, fulfilling it with joy and mirth, Himself endlessly to gladden and to solace His dearworthy friends, full homely and full courteously, with marvellous melody of endless love, in His own fair blessed Countenance."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 14)

The Lord has called us to a wonderful feast at His own house. He does't act aloof or sit apart from us to show He is far above us. He doesn't tell us to serve Him or bow down to Him, doesn't make us do the dishes or demand we worship Him. He has a different and more beautiful way of royally reigning at His party - He reigns over His feast by walking among all of us as our friend, giving us the richest of food and drink, making us feel so comfortable and at home with Him. He reigns over His party by smiling at everyone, filling His house with joy and laughter, gladdening all our hearts with a song of His marvelous and endless love for us! His smile radiates around the room and His presence fills the party with joy and bliss. We are all brought to this party by Christ in His finished work. How amazing that the One who is Lord of all the universe is throwing a party for us, calling us His dearworthy friends! Yes, we are the treasured and honored guests at this party in the Godhead. All He wants to do is fill our hearts with His joy, sing over us of His love, and fellowship and party with us forevermore!

"You feed them with blessings from Your own table and let them drink from Your rivers of delight."

Psalm 35:8 (TLB)

"But here on this mountain, God-of-the-Angel-Armies will throw a feast for all the people of the world, A feast of the finest foods, a feast with vintage wines, a feast of seven courses, a feast lavish with gourmet desserts. And here on this mountain, God will banish the pall of doom hanging over all peoples, The shadow of doom darkening all nations. Yes, he’ll banish death forever. And God will wipe the tears from every face. He’ll remove every sign of disgrace From his people, wherever they are. Yes! God says so!"

Isaiah 25:5-7 (MSG)

A Prayer: I love thinking of You as a God who loves parties and celebrations. I want to celebrate with You forever!

The Fiend Is Overcome

"The Fiend is overcome....he is overcome by the blissful Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ that was done in full earnest and with sober travail."

Julian of Norwich  (Ch. 13)

Christ's Passion, His incarnation, death and resurrection, overcame the fiend, or adversary. He overcame all accusation against us, overcame all the lies and deceit of the evil one, overcame death itself, the thing that the adversary had used all along to bring us into fear and bondage. Christ entered death, suffering like all humans and dying as a human, and when He entered death, He overcame it with His victorious life. The fiend is overcome! It's not that this may happen in the future; it already happened. We are living from victory, not towards it. We are living in the freedom of Christ's invincible life and we know death and evil are not the end, will never be victorious, have already lost. Christ came to destroy the devil and his works, and that is what He did - and He rendered powerless all the accusation and ploys the adversary ever had against us. We have absolutely nothing to fear from any devil for he is already defeated and neutralized and destroyed, and we are already victors over death and evil with Christ.

"Since we, the children, are all creatures of flesh and blood, Jesus took on flesh and blood, so that by dying He could destroy the one who held power over death - the devil - and destroy the fear of death that has always held people captive."

Hebrews 2:14-15 (VOICE)

A Prayer: Thank You for overcoming and destroying any and all evil that was against me. Thank You for freeing me from the fear of death!

Precious, Plenteous Blood of Christ

"The precious plenty of His dearworthy blood descended down into Hell and burst her bands and delivered all that were there which belonged to the Court of Heaven. The precious plenty of His dearworthy blood overfloweth all Earth, and is ready to wash all creatures of sin, which be of goodwill, have been, and shall be. The precious plenty of His dearworthy blood ascended up into Heaven to the blessed body of our Lord Jesus Christ, and there is in Him, bleeding and praying for us to the Father,—and is, and shall be as long as it needeth;—and ever shall be as long as it needeth. And evermore it floweth in all Heavens enjoying the salvation of all mankind."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 12)

The dearworthy, precious, priceless blood of Christ was shed to help us, to save us. And just as it is precious it is also plentiful to overflowing, more than sufficient to do its work. For the life is in the blood, and the blood represents the life of Jesus, poured out for us in love. He gave all that He could give and poured out Himself for us, to make us free! His blood or life went forth and accomplished all its work: it flowed down to the grave and rescued all people from death, it overflowed the whole earth and washed all people from sin, and it flows in heaven and secures for all people a place there with God! When Christ who is perfect life touched death, death withered and gave up its captives, and when Christ who is perfect love touched sin sin was removed from us and its hold on us broken, and when Christ who is perfect light dawned in heaven we all were pulled upward to His rising. We are permanently forgiven and purified of sin, conquerors over death, and connected to resurrection life. What a precious Savior! What precious and dearworthy and overflowing love is shown in the blood and life He gave for us! 

"The blood of Christ saved you. This blood is of great worth and no amount of money can buy it."

1 Peter 1:19 (NLV)

A Prayer: You gave Your own life to free me from sin and death. I see how much You love me, more than I can fathom! I thank You, dear Jesus, with all my heart.

Take His Blood to Wash Away Sin

"And then came to my mind that God hath made waters plenteous in earth to our service and to our bodily ease for tender love that He hath to us, but yet liketh Him better that we take full homely His blessed blood to wash us of sin: for there is no water that is made that He liketh so well to give us. For it is most plenteous as it is most precious: and that by the virtue of His blessed Godhead; and it is [of] our Kind, and all-blissfully belongeth to us by the virtue of His precious love."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 12)

Christ is of our kind, meaning He is our kin. We are family. He, our older brother, came to rescue us when we became captives to sin. And no cost was too great for Him, His love was so strong towards us, even to the point of shedding His own blood, giving His own life so we could be freed. Christ became the ultimate sacrifice to end all sacrifices for sin and show us all our sacrifices for sin are utterly unnecessary. God was never demanding such a sacrifice, but our shame and guilt compelled us to seek one. So He graciously gave us that, and He used His death to conquer sin for us all and take it away. Thus He says to take His blood to wash us of sin. Though many times we feel we need to 'do' something to get rid of the stain of sin on our lives, and we try many religious things to get forgiveness, cleanse ourselves, or somehow make up for our sin, none of that is necessary. Just take His blood as enough to completely deal with it. Consider what He did on the cross as finished and final, God's final word about our sin: Christ took away the sin of the world and it is gone! With sin gone, we are absolutely pure, innocent, and presentable in every way. We are completely forgiven, cleansed, in grace, one with God, freed from captivity to sin and death.There is not a single, solitary religious thing we need to do about our sin. Christ did it all, that's how powerful His precious and plenteous blood is. It is finished!

"Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

John 1:29 (ESV)

A Prayer: Thank You for Your blood shed for me. Thank You that there is nothing I need to do to get rid of my sin, for You already took it away!

Nothing Is Amiss

"All this shewed He full blissfully, signifying thus: 'See! I am God: see! I am in all thing: see! I do all thing: see! I lift never mine hands off my works, nor ever shall, without end: see! I lead all thing to the end I ordained it to from without beginning, by the same Might, Wisdom and Love whereby I made it. How should any thing be amiss?'"

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 11)

If God has planned everything perfectly from the very beginning, and has known how everything would happen all along, and has had the end from the beginning already secure and sure, then how could anything be amiss? If God is wise enough to know how to make all things come out to the best end, and powerful enough to bring that to pass, and loving enough to want the best for all of us, then how could anything truly go wrong in the ultimate sense? If God has always planned for all of us, His created children, to be united in Christ and a part of the fellowship of the Trinity family, and has always kept and preserved us for Him since the beginning, and has always been working in human history to bring about this beautiful plan, how could the ending be anything but perfect and beautiful? No matter that is going on here, or how messy life gets, somehow everything is perfect, somehow everything is working out for the very best in the end. Somehow, nothing is amiss!

"For God had allowed us to know the secret of His plan, and it is this: He purposes in His sovereign will that all human history shall be consummated in Christ, that everything that exists in Heaven or earth shall find its perfection and fulfillment in Him."

Ephesisans 1:10

"From the beginning I predicted the outcome, long ago I foretold what would happen. I said that My plans would never fail, that I would do everything I intended to do."

Isaiah 46:10 (GNT)

A Prayer: Thank You that You are ultimately in charge of everything, so nothing can really go wrong for us; ultimately everything will go right for us with You!

His Perfect Plan

"He changeth never His purpose in no manner of thing, nor never shall, without end. For there was no thing unknown to Him in His rightful ordinance from without beginning. And therefore all-thing was set in order ere anything was made, as it should stand without end; and no manner of thing shall fail of that point. For He made all things in fullness of goodness, and therefore the blessed Trinity is ever full pleased in all His works."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 11)

God always had a beautiful purpose and plan for creating us, and this plan never changed and never will. He knew before creation all that would happen, all the things each person would say and do, every failure and success we would have, and none of that changed His perfect plan or could ever keep it from being fulfilled. His love dream was never in doubt! He made us, and all things in fullness of goodness, and He is absolutely pleased and delighted with us. And we can be sure that He is preserving that goodness within us no matter what wrong turns we make in our lives. We shall stand before Him without end, blameless and innocent and good children, delighted in and loved by our Father forever. That is His love dream from before time began, and Christ has assured this outcome for us all!

"For consider what He has done - before the foundation of the world He chose us to become, in Christ, His holy and blameless children living within His constant care."

Ephesians 1:4 (PHP)

A Prayer: Thank You that You planned our relationship before time began! Thank You that You wanted me and loved me and planned for me to be Your child, and thank You that I will always be Your child! I will always belong to You, Papa!

The Only Doer

"For there is no doer but He."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 11)

God is the doer. He did not leave one single part of our salvation or ultimate existence up to us. He does and did it all. Christ from the cross said 'It is finished.' He completed the work of our salvation. He rescued us, saved us, redeemed us, reconciled us, restored us, freed us, liberated us. He did all the work that we could not do, and He did all the work so there is nothing left for us to do. We are already in the kingdom of God, not trying to get there.  We are already freed from bondage to sin, law, condemnation and death. We are safe. Our position is secure. All will turn out right. The happy ending is certain. He took complete responsibility for us, His dearly beloved creation. And so all that went wrong here on earth He came and repaired Himself, and we will all see the glorious result of that repair! It is such a relief that our salvation is not up to us. It is such a relief that we cannot mess up this wonderful salvation. It is such a relief that it is done and we are already safe and sound. It is such a relief that all we felt was keeping us from a perfect relationship with God is already eliminated. He alone is the doer - therefore, it is done!

"God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity He put us in  right standing with Himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where He always wanted us to be. And He did it by means of Jesus Christ."

Romans 3:24 (MSG)

A Prayer: Thank You for taking care of everything for me, my life, and my salvation!

God's Fair, Sweet Deeming

"Our Lord would have the soul turned truly unto the beholding of Him, and generally of all His works. For they are full good; and all His doings are easy and sweet, and to great ease bringing the soul that is turned from the beholding of the blind Deeming of man unto the fair sweet Deeming of our Lord God."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 11)

We see ourselves as good or evil,and we see our deeds as good or evil. But God made us fully good and works in everything and everyone in a fully good way. When He sees us and our doings, He deems us innocent children. And when He sees our deeds and our situations, He only sees the good He is doing within our deeds and situations. So instead of looking at ourselves and our behavior with judgment, let us look at God and His behavior and be at rest, for He is only good and does only good, and He only sees good in us and only does good in our lives. He is fully and totally and wholly good, and all His works are gentle and sweet. God is love, and love simply 'thinks no evil,' meaning that He thinks no evil of us! He isn't judging or 'deeming' us evil because of our actions or harshly condemning us for any failure; all His 'deemings' are beautiful and good, and He 'deems' us lovable, innocent, pure, worthy of love, very good, and precious children that belong with Him! After all, He is our dear Father, not our judge. So let's forget our human judgments of things, including ourselves, and hear the Spirit's whisper reminding us that God is always our good and dear Father we are always God's good and dear children.

"For the Holy Spirit makes God's fatherhood real to us as He whispers into our innermost being, 'You are God's beloved child!'"

Romans 8:16 (TPT)

A Prayer: Father, thank You for being so good and seeing good in me; remind me who I am to You!

Rightful in All His Ways

"The rightfulness of God's working was shewed to the soul. Rightfulness hath two fair properties: it is right and it is full. And so are all the works of our Lord God...for they be all rightful: wherein faileth nought."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 11)

God's working is rightful. It is right or good, and it is full or complete. He couldn't have made us better than He did, and He couldn't have performed our salvation better than He did. All His working is good and complete, perfect and whole. This means that God is not the author of evil but only of good. He is not the perpetrator of destruction but the giver of life. The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, not ever God! God comes to give abundant life, to give perfect gifts, to save the lost ones. Everything He does for us is good and every motive He has toward us is good. He only helps us, always and forever, and His good work for us will never fail to help us. 

"The Lord is right and good in all His ways, and kind in all His works."

Psalm 145:17 (NLV)

A Prayer: Thank You for being all good and doing only good in my life!

He Does It All

"All-thing that is done, it is well-done: for our Lord God doeth all. For in this time the working of creatures was not shewed, but [the working] of our Lord God in the creature: for He is in the Mid-point of all thing, and all He doeth. And I was certain He doeth no sin."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 11)

He is constantly working and bringing to pass His perfect love plan for us all. He works within events and situations to always bring something good to pass. He promises He will make everything work out in a good way ultimately, that everything will be the best it could possibly be one day. We can be sure of this because He is the One working to bring it to pass and all that He does is perfectly done. Situations on earth aren't perfect all the time, but God is perfect in His work in situations all the time, and whether in the short term or long term, He will work all out for good. We don't have to manipulate things or figure things out; He is the One who will do it all, and He will do only good. He is constantly bringing life, healing, joy, peace, victory, strength, love and support through it all. He is at the center of it all, working behind the scenes in every moment and in every thing, being our strength and our life and our hope, and He will make sure every thing comes out right for every person in the end!

"I'll see to it that everything works out for the best."

Isaiah 54:17 (MSG)

A Prayer: Thank You that You are always working and always doing good!

The Best End

"The things that are in the foreseeing wisdom of God from without beginning....rightfully and worshipfully and continually He leadeth to the best end."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 11)

He has had His perfect love dream in mind from without beginning, before time began. This wonderful love dream is to have all wrapped up in His Son, all humans and all of creation summed up in the loving being of Christ, within the circle of love of the Trinity. He has always wanted all of us, His created children, to enjoy the perfect fellowship that the members of the Godhead enjoy in a perfect union of love and self-giving. He continually leads us all to the very best end, and He will bring us all rightfully and worshipfully to know the love of the Godhead in perfect acceptance, belonging and fellowship, for all of eternity. He will see His dream come true, and everyone will be sure to experience that oneness of love, lifted up in Christ into the loving union of the Trinity, knowing God in perfect bliss forever. This is the very best happy ending imaginable, and God Himself will bring it to pass!

"Our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ."

1 John 1:3 (KJV)

A Prayer: Thank You, Father, for Your love dream of having all of us with You enjoying Your love for all eternity, and thank You that You  bring that about!

God in a Point

"I saw God in a Point....by which sight I saw that He is in all things."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 11)

We see God in a point, the secret center of everything, and thus in all things as their secret center. God, who is Perfect Love, is at the center of it all. He is at the center of all things, of all creation, of heaven and earth, of all space, of all time, past and present and future, of all history. He is the still point at the center around which everything moves, the hidden heart of all, where all is calm and all is well. He is not just part of this story - He is the center of the story. He is not just part of history - He is the point which all history revolves around. He is not just the originator of creation - He is the core truth of all creation. He is not just with and around us - He in us as the core of every person. Everything exists in Him and all of time moves forward based on Him. He is the meaning behind it all and the ultimate mover and sustainer of all. He is working in us to show us kindness and working in our story to bring the perfect happy ending. He is infusing every moment and every person with pure love. God, Perfect Love, is the center of it all, meaning that love is really what it is all about and the core truth of everything! The secret center for our lives is a Person who IS Love, who loves us with unconditional love and accepts us with unconditional acceptance and will work out His purpose of love no matter what. It is all about Him, which means it is all about love. Love holds us, love holds up this universe, love sums up all of history!

"Love holds everything and everybody together."

Colossians 3:14 (NLV)

A Prayer: I am so thankful that You, Perfect Love, are at the center of it all, and at the center of my soul!

Like the Son

"He that made man for love, by the same love He would restore man to the same bliss, and overpassing; and like as we were like-made to the Trinity in our first making, our Maker would that we should be like Jesus Christ, Our Saviour, in heaven without end, by the virtue of our again-making."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 10)

We were made like God, in the image of God. Yet humans fell into sin and death and needed help. Christ came to rescue us from sin and so much more than that. In our first making we were made like God our Maker, and in our again-making we are made like our Savior in heaven without end! Through His death and resurrection, we have been brought into new creation life in oneness with Christ, and all that He is and has is ours as well. We are just like Christ - we have the righteousness of Christ, we have been included in the relationship Christ has with the Father, we have risen with Christ to resurrection life, we have the freedom and victory over sin that Christ has, and we have been seated with Christ in heaven. This was God's wonderful plan all along, to lift us up to the splendor of life with Him in heaven through the Son. Christ took us far beyond what humanity had ever known before. What a wonderful Savior!

"God knew them in advance, and He decided in advance that they would be conformed to the image of His Son."

Romans 8:29 (CEV)

A Prayer: Thank You for raising me up with Christ to the kind of life and love He knows with You in heaven!

He Will Be Trusted

"For He will be seen and He will be sought: He will be abided and he will be trusted."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 10)

God wants us to see Him. He isn't hiding from us or withdrawing from us. He longs for us to seek Him because He longs to be found by us and show Himself to us. He wants us to stay with Him and focus on Him, because He loves us and wants us near. And He wants us to trust Him because He knows what peace, joy and strength it will bring us, and what rest., because He is trustworthy and won't let us down. He loves to prove Himself strong and trustworthy to us! And the wonderful thing is that He is bringing this to pass, always drawing us with love, persuading us with His faithfulness. He is always breaking through our world to reach us right where we are and draw us to look to Him. Every day He is speaking to us and showering us with love-gifts, from the morning sunrise, to a baby's laughter, to unexpected good things coming our way...from reservoirs of strength we find in challenges to friends that cross our paths to support us. He will keep on pouring out love and faithfulness on us and keep on showing us His beauty and goodness till each one of us turns voluntarily towards Him and seeks Him, finds Him, makes our mental home with Him, and comes to fully relax and trust Him to take care of us. He does what any good father would do with his children - He keeps on loving on them and taking care of them till He wins their trust and love. What a wonderful Father we have. We don't have to try to seek Him or make effort to trust Him or abide with Him. We can just listen to the words of love He speaks to us and see all the ways He enters our lives to bless us and we will find ourselves naturally drawn to this all-loving, gentle, faithful Father and Friend!

"I have loved you with a love that lasts forever. And so with unfailing love, I have drawn you to Myself."

Jeremiah 31:3 (CEB)

A Thought: Thank You for drawing my heart close to You, dear Father, and for reassuring me that I WILL abide with You and trust in You!

We See Him Continually

"For He willeth we should believe that we see Him continually though that to us it seemeth but little."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 10)

We may think we hardly ever see God, but God wants us to know that we see Him continually. He is always right in front of us, always within our sights. He is not a God that hides from us. He wants to be known and seen, so He always stays before us and makes Himself known to us. He is always working in our lives, bringing blessing, giving support, and we can look around us every moment and see things He is doing to help and encourage us. And even if we aren't fully aware of His presence or His work outwardly, we are always looking upon Him in our heart, in our spirit. Deep within, we are always in face to face union with God. Our faces are always lit up by the light of His face as He smiles at us, as He loves us. On the outside we may be worried or feeling alone, we may be struggling to find God, but inside, our deepest self is always at rest in Him, has never lost Him, is always looking into His with wonder! And He continually brings our outer thoughts and feelings to align with our inner part, our spirit, to know what our spirit always knows: "God is always here with me, looking on me with joy, loving me. We are one!"

"Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of His face."

2 Corinthians 3:18 (MSG)

A Prayer: I see You, God!

Continually With Us

"If a man or woman were under the broad water, if he might have sight of God so as God is with a man continually, he should be safe in body and soul, and take no harm: and overpassing, he should have more solace and comfort than all this world can tell."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 10)

He is with us at all times, in all places, in all situations. We don't always realize or become aware of this, but He is truly here with us continually. He is not just with us on the outside, all around us. He is also with us on the inside, all within us. In the darkest of moments, at the lowest point in our life, He is still in us, with us, sheltering us, helping us, holding us. This will never ever change. He will never stop being there in us and for us. If we could only see how completely and continually He is with us, no matter what, we would realize how truly safe we are at all times, and we would know the deepest comfort and security that we could feel. The beautiful thing is that He is always working to open our eyes to see it, to see Him right before us, right with us, to see the One who has our back and supports us at all times. We never face this world alone! We are safe in His arms at all times!

"I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God! If I go up to heaven, You are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, You are there. If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, even there Your hand will guide me, Your strength will support me."

Psalm 139:7-10 (TLB)

A Prayer: Thank You for being here with me!

Our Light

"He shall be thy light: thee needeth none but Him." 

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 10)

He is our light, showing us truth, showing us the way, showing us life, showing us Himself. Having Him, we have all the light we need. And He is this light within us. He shines within us, in our hearts, to reveal Himself to us. God shows us His glory in the face of Christ. In that bloodied, bruised, broken face, Christ shows us who God really is - perfect love, acceptance and grace. He shows us the depths of His love for us, love that will always embrace us, love that would die for us, love that forgives our worst failings, love that is faithful to us no matter what the cost. That's the light we need, that's the One showing us the way - it is the One who loves us most of all, who reached out and embraced us and absorbed the worst of our pains and sufferings into Himself to make us whole again!

"God said, 'Light up the darkness!' and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful."

2 Corinthians 4:6 (MSG)

A Prayer: You are my light, and You light my way with Your love.

Love Saves All

"I speak of them that shall be saved, for in this time God shewed me none other."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 9)

We can tend to divide people into categories of 'in' or 'out,' 'us' or 'them,' 'saved' or 'unsaved.' But God only showed Julian those who shall be saved, showing her no other person. So it seems God has only one category: those who shall be saved. He has only one group of people that we all belong to: His created offspring, His children, part of His family. It's wonderful to think that there is no 'in' and 'out' separation with God, that we are all 'in.' Love doesn't divide into categories, accept only some and reject others, or save some and not others. Love accepts all, love saves all. Each person, each and every single person down to the very last one, belongs to the group called 'those that shall be saved.' That's the only group God shows us because that's the only group there is. God made us, and we are the precious, beloved, very good children of God, and He will never allow any of His children to be lost! 

"We have our hope set on a living God who is the deliverer of all humanity."

1 Timothy 4:10 (CJB)

A Prayer: Thank You for saving us all!

He Is In Us All

"For in mankind that shall be saved is comprehended all: that is to say, all that is made and the Maker of all. For in man is God, and God is in all. And I hope by the grace of God he that beholdeth it thus shall be truly taught and mightily comforted, if he needeth comfort."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 9)

There is such a oneness and belonging with God and all that He has made - which is all of us! Noone is neglected, everyone is included. Noone is excluded, everyone belongs. God who made us is in each one of us, around each one of us, undergirding us, filling all of creation. And God is in us through Christ''s incarnation, joining God with our mortal flesh. And so all are included in His salvation work because of this wondrous connection between God and us. This gives us great comfort, for we know that God is in all and embraces all. His beautiful and uplifting work of love and grace uplifts all and redeems all. We wake up to find God is in us, loving us, waiting to relate to us in a special friendship just for us. He has been there with us all along, loving us, adoring us, upholding us. He wants us to know this so we'll find ultimate comfort and know we have never been alone or without support or without a friend. He is in us always, looking out on this world with us through our eyes, and looking back at us in the eyes of every person we meet. 

"Christ is everything. He is in all of us."

Colossians 3:11 (NLV)

A Prayer: Allow me to see You in everyone I meet today!

The Goodness in Us All

"God is all that is good, as to my sight, and the goodness that each thing hath, it is He."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 8)

It's such a relief to know that God is good, and that God is ALL good. All that is good in this world is from God. Every single thing and person He made has an essential goodness. And that goodness that we each have as persons who are made very good by God, that goodness that we inherently have is from God, and actually IS God. There is a core inner self that is good with God's goodness, that is full of God and made of God's substance, that is grounded in God, that is preserved pure and good always by God. We aren't evil or bad natured. We never were and never will be. We bear the image of the good God and are therefore good, too. We are grounded in this good God our Creator, who is the goodness in us all!

"Everything God made is good."

1 Timothy 4:4 (TLB)

A Prayer: Thank You for making me inherently good with Your goodness in me!

Made for Love, Kept by Love

"He that made all things for love, by the same love keepeth them, and shall keep them without end."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 8)

God made us. He didn't make us to manipulate or control us, to use us, or to make us work for His own ends. He made us to love us. He wanted to expand His family, so He created us, His human children. Parents have children to love them, to include them in the family, to share themselves with them, to enjoy being with them. And it is just the same with God our Father and us, His children. All He wants to do is love us. He loves us with no agenda, no means to an end. He just loves us. And by this love He preserves us and keeps us safe. Our good Father won't let anything ultimately happen to us, His children. He will protect us in life and even after this life. We will always be safe in Him, because He loves us, and that's just what love does. It always protects. And His love will never fail us or let us down, for love always perseveres. Our purpose is simply to be loved, and we will be embraced, held up and supported by love no matter what, forever. We belong with Him and we are always loved and cherished, both now and forever!

"I will always love you."

Jeremiah 31:3 (CEV)

A Prayer: Thank You that You created me just to love me!

We Are Very Good

"Heaven and earth and all that is made is great and large, fair and good."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 8)

Everything that God made, all of creation, heaven and earth and all that is in them, is very good. It is pleasing to God, approved in His sight, beautiful, pleasant and well-made. God doesn't make mistakes in His creating! Everything He does is perfectly done, and that includes everything He created. We are good, very good, to God. He is pleased with us, His dear created children. There is nothing wrong with our design or makeup. We don't need to ever feel we are mistakes, messed up, or not good enough. We are perfectly created by our loving Father and He Himself looks on us and sees someone who is beautiful in His sight, someone who is very good!

"God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good."

Genesis 1:31 (NKJ)

A Prayer: Father, I echo Your thoughts and declare I am very good!

Homely and Courteous

"Thus it fareth with our Lord Jesus and with us. For verily it is the most joy that may be, as to my sight, that He that is highest and mightiest, noblest and worthiest, is lowest and meekest, homeliest and most courteous."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 7)

The Lord Jesus shows us a God that is homely and courteous with us. Even though our God is great and mighty, the King of all, so amazing and awe-inspiring, He became flesh and experienced being a human being. He walked with us and talked with us and treated people as equals, as friends, as family. When a great King treats you as a friend and equal, it makes one feel so special and valued, and that is how He is with us. He is courteous with us, refusing to dominate or rule us as a lord and choosing rather to be our friend and confidante. He is homely with us, not standing aloof as an awesome 'other' but instead being comfortable and familiar, so that we feel at ease and at home with Him. The One who is highest of all chose to be the lowest, the One who is mightiest of all chose to be the weakest, and the One who is Lord of all chose to be a servant. He is so vulnerable, friendly and humble that little children feel at ease sitting in His lap. He breaks down all barriers and frees us from all fears. He shows God is fully accessible and safe. He shows God is our Friend!

"Christ became a human being and lived here on earth among us and was full of loving forgiveness and truth."

John 1:14 (TLB)

A Prayer: I feel at home with You!

We Want God

"For our natural Will is to have God, and the Good Will of God is to have us; and we may never cease from willing nor from longing till we have Him in fullness of joy: and then may we no more desire."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 6)

We don't naturally rebel from God or run from God. We naturally want God and run toward God. Our deepest will is not to be against God but to align with God, to be with God. In fact, nothing else will ultimately satisfy us. Sometimes we doubt that our motivations are good or pure, but truly, we can trust the deepest desire of our heart. Our deepest desire and motivation is good, for it is to have God in fullness of joy. Through this innate will to connect with God, we seek and long for God until we find Him. The place we find Him is inside our own hearts. He has been there all along. We discover that we already have what we have been searching for - we already have Him! He satisfies our souls from within, and we have all we have longed for right inside our hearts, where He dwells in us, one with us forever. All we really want is Him and all He really wants is us, and to be together is perfect joy!

"He satisfies the longing soul."

Psalm 107:9 (ESV)

A Prayer: You are the One I have longed for, and in Your presence I find joy and rest!

Inestimable Love

"For our soul is so specially loved of Him that is highest, that it overpasseth the knowing of all creatures: that is to say, there is no creature that is made that may [fully] know how much and how sweetly and how tenderly our Maker loveth us. And therefore we may with grace and His help stand in spiritual beholding, with everlasting marvel of this high, overpassing, inestimable Love that Almighty God hath to us of His Goodness."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 6)

We are especially loved by God, loved in a special and intense way, each one of us loved in a unique way that perfectly suits us and meets our deepest needs for love, acceptance and affection, loved for the unique and special person each of us is to Him. This love goes beyond all knowing or imagining. It is a love vaster than the heavens and deeper than the deepest sea. All earthly loves are just faint echoes of the immense and immeasurable love God has for us. It's like His love is a vast ocean and we are standing on the shore just dipping our toes into this love. It's also and sweet and tender love. We can think of the person on earth who has loved us the most, been the most tender and caring towards us, and see that our heavenly Father's love for us is infinitely more sweet and tender and sure than that earthly love. It's a love that accepts us just as we are with no demand for change, a love that goes on loving us when everyone else has given up on us, a love that always sees the best in us and won't ever let us down. He stands before us right now adoring us, looking at us with tenderness, delighting in everything about us, simply loving all that we are with all that He is. And so we can stand before Him right now, endlessly marvelling at such a love, the unconditional and faithful love we were made for and have always wanted, and we can just be in awe and wonder at this beautiful love, and be so happy and satisfied with Him, and with the way that He loves us!

"Look with wonder at the depth of the Father's marvelous love that He has lavished on us!"

1 John 3:1 (TPT)

A Prayer: I love the way You love me!

Clad in God's Goodness

"For as the body is clad in the cloth, and the flesh in the skin, and the bones in the flesh, and the heart in the whole, so are we, soul and body, clad in the Goodness of God, and enclosed. Yea, and more homely: for all these may waste and wear away, but the Goodness of God is ever whole; and more near to us, without any likeness.."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 6)

We are not having to somehow 'get' God to be good to us. We are actually clothed in, wrapped in, enclosed in, enfolded in the goodness of God at all times. We are not having to get 'into' some state of grace where we will experience His goodness. We are already and always in His goodness. We cannot be 'out' of it. And this goodness of God, which is just God being good to us, will never stop. We will never be able to do anything to make God stop being good to us. It's impossible because His goodness is whole and complete and always near. He is all good to us and only good to us. He is not half good and half bad or good only if we behave or believe well. He is always good, and He is always good to us! We can rest assured that nothing that happens, nothing we could do, nothing at all could ever cause us to lose the goodness of God upon our lives and in our hearts. God will always do only good to us, no matter what. He will never change, He will always be good and give us good things. We are safe in this totally, wholly good God!

"Every gift God freely gives us is good and perfect, streaming down from the Father of lights, who shines from the heavens with no hidden shadow or darkness and is never subject to change."

James 1:17 (TPT)

A Prayer: Thank You for always being so good to me!

[Pg 14] 

He Cares for the Whole Person

"For He hath no despite of that He hath made, nor hath He any disdain to serve us at the simplest office that to our body belongeth in nature, for love of the soul that He hath made to His own likeness."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 6)

He is a God who serves us in our most rudimentary needs. He meets every need and cares for every concern, no matter how simple or small. He cares about all the workings of our bodies, right down to the most basic ones. He is watching over our physical health to keep everything running well and in order, and He is watching over our psychological and mental health, giving support and strength, doing it all for love. He cares about every ache and pain we have in our bodies and every sadness, fear, anxiety or frustration we have in our souls. And He is always at work to bring His wholeness to each of our wounds. We are made in His likeness and He understands and sympathizes fully with the workings of our soul, mind, emotions and body. He takes care of our whole person.

"You are His personal concern."

1 Pet.5:7 (PHILLIPS)

A Prayer: Thank You for caring not just about my spirit but about my soul and body needs, too.

Already in His Embrace

"He hath us all in Himself enclosed."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 6)

Deep down we all search for someone to love us and be good to us, and we hope that there is a good God out there who loves us and gives our lives meaning. We may seek for meaning, goodness, love and God in many ways. But the truth is that we don't have to seek or search for God, because God in His goodness has enveloped us, wrapping us in Himself. Once we realize He is a good God and He has always held us in His embrace, and that is where we have always been and always will be, we know we already have what we are longing for. It is such a relief to find out God is here, and God is good, and we are safe in His arms!

"His huge outstretched arms protect you - under them you're perfectly safe."

Psalm 91:4 (MSG)

He Takes Care of Us

 "For the Goodness of God is the highest prayer, and it cometh down to the lowest part of our need."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 6)

To rest in the goodness of God is the highest prayer. He truly is good and so He will certainly hear and answer all our prayers. He is always thinking of us, and He cares about whatever is on our mind. Nothing is too trivial to be prayed about or cared for by God. He is a kind God who serves us and loves meeting our most basic needs. He is nothing but good and won't send pain or sickness or sorrow or suffering on us, but only give good gifts like love and healing and peace and joy. Our Papa is good. He's taking care of everything for us. We can truly rest in the goodness of God.

"Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things He does for me."

Psalm 103:2 (NLT)

A Prayer: I'm so thankful that You are only GOOD to me.

Overpassing Goodness

"For His Goodness comprehendeth all His creatures and all His blessed works, and overpasseth without end. For He is the endlessness, and He hath made us only to Himself, and restored us by His blessed Passion, and keepeth us in His blessed love; and all this of His Goodness."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 5)

God is good to every single person, and His goodness overflows all of His creation. It is an overpassing goodness that never ends. He is endless goodness, always being kind to us, always loving us, always showing us tenderness, always taking care of us, always doing good things for us, always blessing us. Our lives are simply filled to overflowing with the goodness and love of God. The most beautiful ways He has been good to us are that He made us all to be His very own beloveds, He restored us all through Christ when we had lost sight of that relationship with Him, and He keeps us within His tender and safe love always. We didn't have to do a single thing to 'get' God to be good to us in these ways or in any other way. He is just plain good to us because He loves to be good to us. That's just who He is. He is good. And that's ALL He is. He is just ALL goodness, overflowing and overpassing goodness that passes all human understanding!

"The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all His creation."

Psalm 145:9 (NLT)

A Prayer: You are always so good to us!

We Have Him, We Have All

"For this is the natural yearnings of the soul, by the touching of the Holy Ghost...'God, of Thy Goodness, give me Thyself: for Thou art enough to me, and I may nothing ask that is less that may be full worship to Thee; and if I ask anything that is less, ever me wanteth,—but only in Thee I have all.'"

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 5)

In Christ God has given us Himself to be joined with our humanity forever. He has given us Himself, and that is more than enough. In fact, He is an infinite supply of all we seek - all the love, all the help, all the companionship, all the peace, all the joy, all the healing, all the goodness, all the victory. And it isn't that He gives those things but that He IS those things! It's all wrapped up in Him; He is the total package and total answer for us. Anything or anyone else that we seek after will eventually not be enough for us. But He is enough for us! In Him, we have all we need. All seeking is at an end, all yearnings cease, and we have rest. All is complete, all is well. We already have Him; we already have all. Anything less leaves us wanting, but with Him we are filled full in completeness, with nothing missing or lacking, nothing we need to reach for or to gain, because we are filled full of God Himself. 

"So you have everything when you have Christ, and you are filled with God through your union with Christ."

Col. 2:10 (TLB)

A Prayer: In You, I have everything!

True Rest

"For this is the cause why we be not all in ease of heart and soul: that we seek here rest in those things that are so little, wherein is no rest, and know not our God that is All-mighty, All-wise, All-good. For He is the Very Rest. God willeth to be known, and it pleaseth Him that we rest in Him; for all that is beneath Him sufficeth not us. "

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 5)

Other people and things can be interesting and helpful to us, but ultimately, only God gives us true rest for our soul. He is the One who gets us through the darkness, He is the One who truly loves us unconditionally, He is the One who will never let us down, He is the One who has the answer no matter what the situation, He is the One who truly satisfies all the deepest needs of our heart. He knows everything about us and loves us, loves us, loves us. He is so intimately familiar with us that He knows just how to help us - one little word from Him spoken into our heart brings us peace, one touch of His presence in our soul brings us wisdom and strength. He is true rest and He longs and loves for us to rest, relax, find peace and be at ease in Him.

"Only in God do I find rest."

Psalm 62:1 (CEB)

A Prayer: You are the only One who truly satisfies my heart and brings me to rest.

Made, Loved, Kept

"In this Little Thing I saw three properties. The first is that God made it, the second is that God loveth it, the third, that God keepeth it." 

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 5)

All of creation, which is to God so small, like a little hazelnut in one's hand, is made, loved and kept by God. This has always been true, is true now, and will always be true. This is true for every person, every creation of God. We are all made by God, loved by God, kept by God, without any condition or exception. Everyone is included. There is never any doubt who we belong to, who loves us, and who is taking care of us. 

"I will take care of you. I created you. I will carry you and always keep you safe." 

Isaiah 46:4 (CEV)

A Prayer: I am safe in Your Hand, O God.

Like a Hazelnut in His Hand

"Also in this He shewed me a little thing, the quantity of an hazel-nut, in the palm of my hand; and it was as round as a ball. I looked thereupon with eye of my understanding, and thought: What may this be? And it was answered generally thus: it is all that is made. I marvelled how it might last, for methought it might suddenly have fallen to naught for little[ness]. And I was answered in my understanding: It lasteth, and ever shall [last] for that God loveth it."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 5)

All of creation, the entire vast universe, is so small to God that it fits like a hazelnut in the palm of His hand. Yet it is so precious to Him that He sustains it in His great love. He loves every part of creation, every being, right down to the smallest ant on the smallest blade of grass. Each person, each creature, is so beloved of God, so special and important and cared for, held so tenderly and supported so faithfully. No matter how small we may be, we are precious and upheld in life by God Himself. It is Love Himself that holds all creation in life, in being, in existence. It is Love Himself that breathes the breath of life in us and keeps us alive. It is Love Himself that tenderly, faithfully, endlessly supports and cares for all!

"He holds all things in His hand - every living soul, yes, every breathing creature."

Job 12:10 (MSG)

A Prayer: I love being loved by You.

 

God Our Clothing

"He is our clothing that for love wrappeth us, claspeth us, and all encloseth us for tender love, that He may never leave us."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 5)

It is such a beautiful image of love to think of God wrapping Himself around us like clothing. We are clothed with God, in tenderness and love.  He is always enclosing us, sheltering us, protecting us, holding us, embracing us. He will never leave us. We are always wrapped and held in the love and goodness of God, the very presence of God!

"God encircles His people - always has and always will."

Psalm 125:2 (MSG)

A Prayer: Right now, I am wrapped in Your presence.

Good and Comfortable

"He is everything that is good and comfortable for us."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 5)

He is everything that is good. Every thing He does relating to us, every way He is with us is good and kind. And He is a comfortable God. He makes us feel comfortable, not nervous or awkward or insecure. He fits us perfectly. He puts us at ease. He makes us feel everything is just perfect, just as it should be. Everything good and comfortable that comes to us in this life is a picture Him, a gift from this good and comfortable God. We can relax and sink into this wonderful God who is always good to us and always comforting to us. He is like a big soft easy chair we can curl up in and fall asleep on a warm summer afternoon, feeling so cozy and fine!

"I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Matt. 11:30 (MSG)

A Thought: O God, You are so easy to be with!

Filled with Joy

"Suddenly the Trinity fulfilled my heart most of joy. And so I understood it shall be in heaven without end to all that shall come there."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 4)

All He has for us is joy. He wants us to be filled with joy, and not just any joy, but the joy of the Trinity, the joy of their communion and of their being. We will be full of God's joy for ever and ever in heaven without end! And that sheer happiness and elation begins now in our hearts, for the fruit of the Spirit within us is joy. It's a joy that can't be extinguished or taken from us by anyone or anything. It's God's joy in us, and it's God's joy over us! The main experience one has in the presence of God is bliss...Just to be in His presence is fullness of joy. That is what we have now and forevermore - the enjoyment of the happiness of God!

"In Your presence is fullness of joy."

Psalm 16:11 (KJV)

A Prayer: Thank You for lightening my heart; You are my reason to be happy!

He Became a Mortal Man

"Our Lord Jesus..for love would be a mortal man."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 3)

He didn't have to take on flesh and blood and become a mortal man, but He chose to. He became on of us to enter into our situation, feel what we feel, go through what we go through, and deliver us from all that hurt us, helping us from the inside out. He could have chosen another way, but He chose to bear our pain and suffer with us in order to bring us healing and relief. It was all for love. That's why He did it. It was all for love!

"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us."

John 1:14 (ESV)

A Prayer: I know You understand what we go through, because You became one of us.