For the past four days I have woken up with Matthew West’s song, “The God Who Stays” in my head. I had only heard the song a couple times before it proceeded to invade my waking space.
The song is beautiful, strong, and speaks volumes of the love of God. However, these lyrics:
You’re the God who stands
With wide open arms
And You tell me nothing I have ever done can separate my heart
From the God who stays
they visually tell a story to me. Wide open arms is a universal gesture. They represent a welcome, love, comfort, and sometimes even shelter.
I think of the times I held my arms wide open for my daughter who would run and jump in them with such joy when she was younger. Those same arms would be wide open for her when she was older and needed the comfort and safety.
I think about the wide open arms who have held me, who have welcomed me and who have shown great love.
The image of myself, for all of us, running to a God whose arms are wide open and ready to welcome us with such joy, love, hope, shelter and comfort, brings tears to my eyes.
Most of us have been at one time or another, even if we don’t want to admit it, the prodigal son or daughter. Yet, we are always received back with unconditional love we can never be separated from.
Wherever you find yourself today . . . whatever you have in your past . . . all that matters is those wide open arms ready and willing to welcome you.
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8 37-39
Raelyn Pracht 