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.

All Love

"God is All Love."

Julian of Norwich, Revelation of Divine Love (Ch. 1)

I believed for so long that God is love but also other things, like wrath and judgment. It has been such a relief to find out that He is ALL love. Nothing else. Just love. He isn't a God of two faces, like love and anger... or love and rejection...or love and hatred. A two-faced love isn't real, pure love at all. Truly, He is a God of one face - perfect, beautiful, pure. lovely love with no hint of anger, judgment, or rejection. This is a God we can feel safe with, knowing He will never be anything but LOVE in us and towards us. This is a God we can sink down into and rest in, knowing we are enveloped and embraced by the perfect acceptance and care of the One who is All Love!

"God is love."

1 John 4:8 (ESV)

A Prayer: Thank You for being All-Love. Your love drives away all my fears.