Fueled by Love
“I am intensely jealous for Zion, stirred to jealous wrath for her.”
Did you know that the Father is just as jealous for you and for your heart as He was for Zion? Just as the Lord longs to dwell in Zion - He longs to dwell within your heart. Just as the Father longs to bring Zion fruitfulness, freedom, and joy - He longs to bring fruitfulness, freedom, and joy to you.
When I think of jealousy, it’s hard to equate that with God. My jealousy is almost always petty and self-serving. But God’s jealousy… God’s jealousy is deserved.
What could possibly be better than God?
What could possibly be better for us than love? Love is what He is and who He is - what could possibly be better than that? But I don’t equate jealousy with love. That’s hard to understand.
And yet, the scripture says that God was “stirred to JEALOUS WRATH for her.” When God is stirred to JEALOUS WRATH for us, what must that look like?
God’s jealousy isn’t like ours.
God’s love fuels His jealousy for us.
God’s jealousy doesn’t erupt out from a place of brokenness like ours does. No, God’s jealousy comes from His intense love for us. Our jealous is self-serving, but God’s jealousy is pure. It comes from His perfect love for us. His only fuel is love.
When God is jealous for you, His wrath is mighty and righteous and powerful and fueled by love alone. He gets jealous when we try to fill up our hearts on things that will never satisfy us completely. He wants us to have Him because He knows that…
He is the best thing FOR us.
Girls, I’m as guilty as the next person - I look for eternal fulfillment in things that are temporal. And it never works. And every time I realize that I’m looking for something temporal to fill me up (all over again), I find God standing there, waiting jealously for me to come back to Him.
He stands at the door and knocks and knocks and knocks and knocks and knocks. Not because He loves knocking. Not because He loves knocking on doors. No, He knocks because He loves us too much to stop. He is jealous for us to know Him because He knows we need Him. And He loves us too much to leave us.
He can’t WAIT for you to open the door.
He is anxious for you to know Him. He is anxious for you to be near Him. He is anxious to fill you with His love and His delight. He is jealous for your time because He loves you. He is jealous for your heart because He knows that His love the best thing for you.
So open up. Let Him fight for you. Let Him fill you with His goodness, and let Him share His eternal promises. There’s no one who is like Him. And He wants you to be close to Him.
He is jealous for You.
He is jealous for YOU - not just for a city, not just for a people, but for YOU specifically. He is jealous for the woman that you are and the goodness within you. He wants the very best for you. And He knows that the best for you is Him.
Father,
Thank You for Your jealous love. Thank You that You don’t stop short of our potential. Thank You that You are unique and creative and passionate and faithful and that You never give up on us.
Thank You for knocking always. Thank You for standing at our door frames ready to enter at the slightest invitation. Thank You that You know us and love us and meet us FIRST with delight.
Thank You, Abba. Thank You, Dad. Thank You, Father.
God, we love You. You alone are worthy of all our praise.
