Winter 1986
The Personal Passion for Christ
Edited from an article by
Susan Strachan

"To what profit is it that we dwell in Jerusalem, if we do not see the King's face?"

There is a passion for Christ which has been given to very few to possess, and which has set those who have it apart from their fellow men.

Is not this the quality which separates between Christian and Christian; which marks out some, the rare ones, as beings apart from the rest of us? Is it not this quality in the writings of the mystic which, as in no other spiritual literature, pulls at our heartstrings and creates a pain of longing? These, who were "friends of God" had a personal passion for Christ.

The trouble with the rest of us is that we are content to dwell in Jerusalem without seeing the face of the King. We are hard at work for Him. The hours rush by, leaving us scarcely time to give a thought to the Lover of our souls who is longing for our friendship.

Amidst the swirl of pleasure which is engulfing the majority of those who call themselves Christians, God has His own. These are men and women whose faith and zeal burn brighter as the world's darkness deepens.

There is so much splendid orthodoxy that leaves us cold, so much preaching of "the simple Gospel" that excites no enthusiasm. But at rare intervals, one meets with someone who, like Paul, has looked into the matchless face of Jesus and who henceforth sees nothing save the face of his Beloved. There is a radiance about such a one, a glory shining forth, a wonderful quality of voice and handclasp, a fragrance unmistakable. These keep company with their Beloved in the place where there is a "fountain of gardens, a well of living waters and streams from Lebanon".

What makes the difference? It is not knowledge, for knowledge puffes up. We have knowledge in abundance. God has given us great teachers of His Word. But, too often our knowledge is a "form of Godliness", the power of which we are denying because we do not possess it. No, it is not knowledge that makes the difference, nor is it orthodoxy, zeal or our works.

What was it that made Moses, the lawgiver, as keenly appreciative of the grace of God as was even Paul himself? Moses was the incomparable "friend of God" because he possessed a passion for the Lord in an unusual degree. Is there anything so sublime anywhere in the sacred Word as Moses' refusal to go on without His presence? The Lord had said unto Moses, "Depart and go up hence...I will not go up in the midst of thee... lest I consume thee by the way". But Moses had long companied with God and it was unthinkable that now this wondrous presence should be withdrawn. An angel might be all right for other people, but not for the man who was accustomed to talk to God "face to face, as a man talks to his friend".

Moses dared say to God, "If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence". In the grief of that sad day, how glad God must have been to find one man who at all costs wanted the best, and how gladly He must have said, "Moses, I will do this thing also, that thou has spoken. My presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest". The heart of God must have been refreshed by the devotion of His friend that day, and God never forgot it. Later, Moses stood with Him on the mount of Transfiguration.

In our zeal for the better, are we missing the best? The word of our Lord to us is still, "He that loveth Me, shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him and will MANIFEST Myself unto him". In Heaven, the redeemed shall see His face and serve Him, but it is blessedly true that He will manifest Himself to those who love and serve Him here. There is a reward for the obedient disciple, there is power and authority for the faithful disciple, there is a glory of achievement for the zealous disciple. But, there is the whisper of His love, the joy of His presence and the shining of His face, for those who LOVE HIM FOR HIMSELF ALONE.

"And to what profit is it that we dwell in Jerusalem, if we do not see the face of the King?"