Tuesday Dec 19

Have you ever wondered what might be God’s Love Language? “Love language” describes one’s particular way to express and to receive love. Acts of service, quality time, words of affirmation, physical touch, and giving of gifts are the ones identified by Dr. Gary Chapman. Sure, it’s probably not right to reduce God’s love to a model best used for couples therapy, but it might be worth some reflection.

It might even be the case that our passage today identifies God’s primary love language when it comes to how God receives love. The passage points to a prophecy that leads straight to Mary, the mother of Jesus, the ‘sign’ that shall be called Immanuel, “God with us.” The prophecy is bigger than these amazing details.

The people of Judah and their king, Ahaz, are being threatened by their enemies: Syria and the split-off nation of Israel. He and the people are shaken, shaken like trees in a mighty wind. Through the prophet Isaiah, God presents Ahaz with a choice: “Trust me.” To assure Ahaz, God challenges him to determine a sign that could prove God’s power. But Ahaz refuses, using some false spirituality about not ‘testing’ God.

So, God chooses the sign: a virgin or young woman who will have a child, which shall be named Immanuel. Ahaz has rejected God as the one he can trust. Yet, God will save his people through a greater sign than Ahaz could have come up with: Immanuel, God with us.

It seems to me that God certainly knows our love through our worship, our service, our obedience, our love towards others, especially the poor. But, I wonder if trust is God’s primary love language. Trust matters most when we are most threatened and shaken. In those times we look for the quickest relief and are tempted to place our trust in anything that promises immediate help.

If you are a parent of an adult child you will have plenty of occasions to be afraid, to be confused, to be desperate to do something. Personally, at those times I am more inclined to try to control and solve the threat than I am to trust God. And my lack of trust has always made things worse, worse for me and anyone around me. Without trust there is no peace, no strength, no amazement at the mighty care of God. All of our children survived childhood (or more threatening, young-adulthood). But, we certainly experienced our share of dark times that felt inescapable. Sometimes I trusted God, but most of the time that was not my first response. When I did, the peace and strength were truly amazing.

Ahaz missed the most important truth about God, which is this: God is always the answer. To prove it, God came as a child to be with us. The greatest earthly king or ruler would not be enough.

What are you most afraid of? What are you trying your hardest to control or fix – or deny? What robs you of the sweet peace that God is with you? Write it down. How might you trust God with this now?