the open-heartedness of God
In reading my devotions this week, I stumbled across something I’d never noticed before in the book of Joel.
I didn’t get very far! Joel chapter one verse one reads like this, “The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.” The meaning of the names is outlined in my MacArthur study Bible. Joel means “The LORD is God.”
And Pethuel? His name means “open-heartedness of/toward God.”
Just think about that for a moment: the open-heartedness of God.
In case you need another definition, open-heartedness is, according to the dictionary, expressing or displaying one’s warm and kindly feelings without concealment; candidly straightforward; responsive to emotional appeal.
And while describing the way God loves us as “warm and kindly” is a bit hollow in contrast to how greatly He loves us, I just can’t get this concept of an open-hearted God out of my head.
God is open-hearted towards us in that He does not treat us as our sins deserve.
God is open-hearted towards us in that He sent His Son to die in our place so that we could have a relationship with Him.
God is open-hearted towards us in that He never stops loving us, no matter what we do. There is always grace for the one who returns Home.
It honestly boggles my mind that God doesn’t ask anything of us in return. That is true love because it is freely given and is the choice of the recipient to accept. God is open-hearted in that He loves you, freely, richly, and without any strings attached. He doesn’t require good behavior, hard work, or extraordinary character of you. His love continues where yours may fail. He loves even when it hurts. He doesn’t stop loving you even as your choices continue to push Him away. God does not want anyone to perish without tasting of His love and experiencing the transforming power of His grace. That includes you!
God doesn’t trick us or mislead us. We don’t have to guess where we are at with God because He demonstrates His love in tangible ways. There is never a moment when God’s love doesn’t extend to you.
God is trustworthy and true. If we want to know who He is, we can find out in His word! He is not a God of confusion, but a God of peace.
Lastly, it wouldn’t be a relationship if God wasn’t open to our emotional appeals. He listens to our heart cries. He carries us in our weakness. He intervenes on our behalf. God invites us into His plan through prayer. We have access to the Creator of the universe. We have His ear because we are His beloved children. Our prayers have an impact because our God is relational and responds to our prayers with His power.
God is open-hearted towards you. He looks at you as one looks at a beloved daughter or son. He reaches out to you in open-hearted, unconcealed love, “Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
Won’t you turn your heart toward this God, open heart and open hands upraised to the One who longs to give you the rest you crave? The One who loves you with a heart wide open?
♪ - listen to Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus) by Chris Rice.
* Disclaimer: In researching this a bit further, I discovered that MacArthur may have taken a bit of creative liberty with his translation of Pethuel’s name. In Hebrew, the name is derived from pathah, meaning enlarged, and el, meaning God. So a more common translation of this name is “enlarged of God” or “God’s opening.”
However, the concept still applies. There is so much scripture to back up God’s unconditional, open-hearted love towards you!
