As the youngest of six children, Frances Ridley Havergal (1836–1879) suffered from intense childhood loneliness. Then, when her mother died unexpectedly, further anguish ripped through her grief-stricken, eleven-year-old heart. But when she opened her life to Jesus in her teens, she found comfort in knowing she would never again be alone. “Earth and heaven seemed brighter from that moment,” she wrote.
Profoundly moved and inspired by Christ’s beautiful nature and sacrifice, Frances longed to love and worship Him with every part of her life, later expressing her devotion in a “Consecration hymn”. “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee,” she sang ardently.
Like Paul, Frances’ devoted response to God poured out from the rich blessing of her delight in Him. “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” Paul had cried, overflowing in his praise (Romans 11:33). “Therefore,” he continued (12:1), “I urge you . . . to offer your bodies”, all that you are and do, “as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
Both Paul and Frances inspire our own passionate responses to God’s goodness. As we draw close to God in love and heartfelt gratitude, instinctively we desire to offer Him our time, hands, feet, words, possessions, intellect, will and heart. And as we remain close to His ways, our lives will increasingly be “transformed” into His likeness (v. 2).
By Anne Le Tissier
REFLECT & PRAY
Which attributes of God’s nature and promises are you especially moved to thank and praise Him for? How might your response to these wonderful truths shape your life today?
Loving God, I draw close in loving thankfulness as I seek to walk in step with Your ways.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Paul isn’t the first biblical writer to speak of God being unknowable (Romans 11:33–35). Two thousand years earlier, Job (who is believed to have lived around the time of Abraham) asked, “Can you fathom the mysteries of God?” (Job 11:7). The prophet Isaiah aptly summed up our incapacity to fully know God: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” (Isaiah 55:8). But God desires us to know Him: “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord” ( Jeremiah 24:7; see Hebrews 8:10–11). The apostle John tells us that “no one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God . . . has made him known” (John 1:18). Jesus Himself affirmed, “If you knew me, you would know my Father also” (8:19). Even though we can’t comprehend everything about God, John says everyone who knows Jesus knows Him ( 17:3).
K. T. Sim
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