It’s true; I love words – a whole heckva lot. They excite and enthuse, they break and hurt, and they are simple and beautiful. What is a particular joy of mine is hearing (or reading) a word that I’ve known my whole life used to describe something in a fashion I’ve never seen, or heard, before.
This happened recently as I was finishing Jonathan Edwards’ ‘The End for which God Created the World’ he, in a footnote, described the believer’s love for God as “exquisite.”
It’s a simple word really, exquisite, but the meaning of it is sensational, “Extremely beautiful; intensely felt; highly sensitive.” But in relation to the love of a believer toward God this idea of exquisite love is crippling.
For who would say my love for God is exquisite? For that matter who would say it is an exceeding love? And to become more simplistic, who would say it is love at all?
It must become clear this love for God is an outside love, a love that cannot be supported within the soul of man. For man is fickle swinging from one ‘love’ to the next and his eyes are easily befuddled to loose the dream or aim of life.
But God does grow a love for himself within our hearts – though it takes a lifetime to be understood as love. He does move and work within our souls for his own pleasure. He does exquisitely love us first as believers.
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