I know my Redeemer

I have a cat who loves my window sill next to my bed. He loves to sit in the pocket when the window is open. This morning i was pouring out my concerns and all of a sudden here he comes. The windows are all closed. he can’t do it. He halfway jumps and is teetering between the window and my bed. I catch him, bring him up on the nice soft bed and he jumps down and… tries again. He really wants to be on the window, looking out. He yowls at me. I try explaining that the window is closed for his comfort and mine.

I live my life a whole lot like Milo. I have my plan. I know what i would like to do. I’d like God to get on board and help me, do it my way. We’ve done this before, can you please help me so I can..fill in the blank. What I cannot see is or understand, like Milo, if we open the window this time, no more air conditioning. In the springtime, it was lovely to have the window open. Not in the summer.

And I am apt to think, God isn’t listening because my specific prayers are not being answered in ways I think they should be. He slinks away frustrated with me. I sigh with frustration and sadness.

Yet, my time swirling was interrupted with this little cat. I’m not meant to just sit here thinking. I’m meant to rest my mind in what I know to be true. Interruptions such as this remind me, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the end he will stand on the dust.” Job 19:25

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.”
‭

Psalms‬ ‭19‬:‭14‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.” Ephesians 1:3-4 NASB

I come back to the Beatitudes now when I see blessed. Each line of chapter 5 verses 3-11 begin with, “blessed are..” Here we see the blessing begin with the Father. In Christ we have all we need. All the spiritual blessings. We have been chosen before the world came into being. Chosen to be holy before him.

“In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:5-6

Listen, I could go deep on theology and predestination here, but my little head can only do so much this morning. We are adopted into his family. His will towards us is kind. His glory, His praise, His grace is bestowed on us freely. All of this, and here I am trying to pry open a little window so I can sit where I like. I have my way I want things to go. And my God is saying to me, this is not the conversation I am having with you, my child.

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:8-12

There is one period in that whole paragraph, friends. One. My man Paul needs some punctuation. Haha. I can spend all my time looking over my past, to my mistakes. To all the things I wish I could have done differently, I cannot change the past. I can only walk in the day today. I can say, I am redeemed. Not only say it, I keep saying it and believe it. I know my Redeemer lives. I know which means my past is forgiven. My sins are cleansed. His grace is lavished. Everything is summed up in Christ. Everything. I’m worrying about the day to day, what i did yesterday. Christ is saying, this story has not been finished yet. When I place my hope in the Resurrecting King, I give him. PRAISe.

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/100/eph.1.3-14.NASB1995

I can become wracked with worry and fear, but friends, I have in my hands, the message of truth. It pours through my head, reminding me of my deliverance. Just as the father cried out to Jesus, “help me in my unbelief!”, I say, I believe. I know I am sealed with the Spirit. He is my promise. He lives inside of me. I want to keep in my mind, I know my redeemer lives. And may that bring Jesus glory today.