This Is What He Wants

This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For, 

There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone.

(1 Timothy 2:3-6)

It would be one of the biggest lies of my life to suggest that I’ve got it altogether. What I have developed over time is the acknowledgement of how essential prayer is to life.

A group of us gathered to pray recently and the leader of the session directed us to Paul’s instructions to Timothy. In those instructions the first thing called upon was prayers to be made for a number of people for a particular reason. Underneath those was a driving desire of the Father.

That the Father wants people to be saved, was not new to me. Over a decade earlier, I had the privilege of being part of a church plant and we often referred to this very scripture when we lead corporate prayers. It became woven into me as a result that God wanted people to be saved. That was all well and good and remains so.

On this particular recent reading, we were encouraged to look at the issue of people coming to the knowledge of the truth. Three elements of that truth – 1) One God; 2) One Mediator between God and Man – The Man Christ Jesus; 3) This Man paid the price to set people free.

Getting to grips with the truth of this is not about acknowledging the statements, nodding the head, memorising them and being able to tick them off when asked. This is an invitation to know the truth – to know God, to embrace the Mediator, to see what He has done in the Cross. That’s not observational as an exercise, that’s relational for a lifetime.

It’s a very simple statement with a great depth of riches to be mined from it. Which is good, because it’s simplicity can be an invitation for people to engage with it – then when they come across the depth of riches, they can appreciate why life is so much better praying for everyone so that we will have an opportunity to share with anyone, the amazing grace of Someone who wants no one to miss out. It’s a great desire to have to want people to know this truth.

Not only is this case …

That’s what God wants.

(Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash)

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

C. L. J. Dryden