One time that God affirmed his love for me was when I was praying in my office and imagining that Jesus was coming to visit me that evening–coming for dinner . As I imagined myself setting the table for dinner, I had a vision . I looked up from the dining room table, and I saw Jesus Christ in the front doorway of my house. Beside him, through the windows and through the doorway I saw that the rest of the world was on fire . In the vision, before I knew what to do, Jesus came to me, picked me up and hugged me . That was the whole vision . There were no actions for me to take , no rebuke, or warning for the nations , but God in his great kindness came to me to show me the depth of his love for me . I wrote a song about that vision: “If the rest of the world is on fire, and I’m with you, I’m fine.”
When I think about Jesus meeting Peter after the resurrection, I know that Jesus affirmed , redeemed, and rehabilitated Peter’s broken spirit . If you or I had been in Jesus place, and we had a chance to confront our friend after he had denied even knowing us, we would not have responded like Jesus . I might have said something like “You’ve got a lot of nerve,”’ or I might have taken a sarcastic jab: “It sure looks like you know me now.” But Jesus gave Peter three chances to affirm their relationship and to be affirmed. Jesus said, “Peter, do you love me?”
I hope that you have had some experience of affirmation from the Lord , something in addition to agreeing that the way of Christ is good and right. I pray that Jesus has come into your life and spoken deep into your heart , not only that he loves the world, but that he loves you.
