Have you ever wondered how God feels when we reject Him? Or maybe even worse, when we who profess to be his people turn away from Him? One day I realized I have probably felt, as close as humanly possible, the pain that He feels when we are unfaithful to Him.

Being rejected by people is painful enough. Being rejected by people you love is even worse. But what about the rejection a spouse? Can you imagine the pain of that type of rejection and insult. Sadly, there are many of us who have experienced that pain. Now, please understand, I am not sharing this to elicit pity for myself or any other person who has experienced the pain of marital unfaithfulness. I simply believe that God has allowed me to use my experience to understand how much He truly loves us and desires a relationship with us.

It has been several years since I divorced my ex-wife. But I still remember clearly the pain that I felt when I first suspected she was cheating, as well as that when I found out for certain. It was actually the same feeling for me, but the difference was the intensity of the physical and emotionoal response.

Sadly, there are others who have experienced this pain, and their experiences are no doubt different. But I think we would all agree that there is almost nothing as painful as infidelity.

I’ll try to describe own pain. First there was this feeling in the pit of my stomach that something wasn’t quite right. Most of us have heard the term “butterflies in the stomach,” I’m sure. Well in the case of infidelity, for me, it felt like blenders, or electric mixers had been turned on inside my stomach and were turning it inside out. Then there’s the rush of adrenaline, due, no doubt, to the human bodies built in “fight or flight” response. Of course that rush of adrenaline leads to many other physical responses. Then there is the sudden stabbing pain I felt in my heart and in my spirit. Finally a type of physical and emotional fatigue set in. The woman to whom I had pledged my love, and had given my heart had betrayed me. It crushed my spirit. It truly hurt me to the core.

Now I am not naive enough to think that any of the pain we experience comes anywhere close to the pain that God feels when we reject or walk away from Him. I can only imagine that the pain our sin causes Him is a million times worse.

Remember when I said above that there is almost nothing as painful as infidelity? Well there is a pain that is indescribably worse; there is the pain of having your child ripped away. I have experienced the pain of having my children ripped away from me. I cannot begin to describe that pain. As painful as having my children ripped from the safety of my home and arms was, the only thing I imagine can be more painful is losing my child to death.

Now I have not experienced that pain caused by the death of one of my children. And my heart goes out to those who have. But I also know that our Heavenly Father has experienced both of the pains I have experienced, as well as the pain of a Son’s death.

There is a reason that at times He refers to Israel as a wayward wife who has left her first love. There is a reason that our relationship to Christ is described in terms of marriage. God desires an intimate relationship with us, his people. We were created for that relationship and fellowship with Him. But too often we reject Him. Even worse, we often, even after we turn to Him, return to satisfying our selfish desires instead of fulfilling our vow to God. We caused Him to experience the pain of having an unfaithful spouse. Our sin caused Him to experience the pain of losing His only Son, even to the point of death. The death of a mere human could never satisfy the debt of our sin. So the Son, Jesus Christ, stepped forward.

I can only imagine that the conversation went something like this:
The Son said, “I’ll go. I will give up my own glory, and live among them. I will show them the way to live. I will be their example. Finally, I will pay the penalty for their sin. I will even suffer the indignity and humiliation of death on a cross.”
And the Father replied, “my Son, go. Stay in constant communion with me, so that my power will remain in you that you may bring me glory. Your death will satisfy the penalty for their sin. As you take their sin upon yourself on that cross I will have to look away, because I cannot look at sin. But after three days I will raise you back to life, and you will again be glorified. Your resurrection will defeat death once and for all. After you return to my side I will send my Holy Spirit to comfort and guide them. They will again be capable of enjoying eternal fellowship with us.”

So I have just two questions:
If you have not yet accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, will you now turn from your sin and accept the free gift He has given, or will you continue to reject Him.

If you have previously accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, but have since turned away, will you return to One who loves you to the point He gave up His own life for you; or will you continue in your infidelity?