One is His majesty - the imagery of the throne room in heaven with the sea of glass and the colors and the lightning and thunder and the promise that one day all things will be set to right. That moves me.
The other one is God as a good Father - His parenting of His people. For example, this from chapter 4 of the book of Hosea:
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. But the more they were called, the more they went away from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them. My people are determined to turn from me. Even though they call me God Most High, I will by no means exalt them. “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again. For I am God, and not a man— the Holy One among you. I will not come against their cities. They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. They will come from Egypt, trembling like sparrows, from Assyria, fluttering like doves. I will settle them in their homes,” declares the Lord. (Hosea 11:1-4, 7-11 NIV)
Do you see that? I think it's because I have children and I have held their arms while they learned to walk. I'm a very visual person and I can see huge, strong hands holding the chubby arms of a toddler, just trying to take the next step without falling flat. I have felt compassion on my children, even when they rebel against me. I don't enjoy discipline. And neither does the Lord. Sometimes it's necessary but His heart is always for us to turn back toward Him.
In the same way any good parent will pursue a child who is going astray, in the way that a loving mom or dad refuses to give up on a child that seems hopeless - in that same way God loves us. And more. If you get lost, overwhelmed, feel hopeless, confused, depressed, angry, make a huge mistake, etc, He will come for you. Of course our part is to turn (aka repent).
This song (below) has so ministered to my heart recently. If I've listened to it once I've listened a hundred times. Take a few minutes to really listen. My favorite line is this:
"Wrestling angels till dawn breaks through,
There's a blessing in the wound,
and you're running, you're running from it."
When we wrestle through our problems with the Lord, it can be painful, but there's a blessing in it if we don't run away. I love the way she repeats, "I'm coming for you. I'm coming for you, wherever you go." That's the determination of a parent, and it's but a reflection of the heart of God.
These are the lyrics in full (well, mostly):
There's a train leaving your heart tonight,
There's a silence inside your head
and you're running, you're running from it.
Down the tracks on a midnight line,
There's a red moon in the sky
and you're running, you're running from it.
But I'm coming for you wherever you go.
I'm coming for you, I'm coming for you,
Wherever you go.
Wrestling angels till dawn breaks through
There's a blessing in the wound
and you're running, you're running from it.
When all your demons are at your door
It's a soldier they're looking
and you're running, you're running from it.
But I'm coming for you wherever you go.
I'm coming for you, I'm coming for you wherever you go.
Across the sea,
the space between everything you think you know
the things you keep and bury deep
underneath the melting snow
I'll follow.
Fathers & mothers don't always come through
But I'm never gonna stop following you
Prophets and lovers don't always hold true
But I'm never gonna stop falling for you
So when your wine's all gone and your well runs dry,
Open your hands and look into my eyes; all that you see here,
You'll soon leave behind, so open your hands and look into my eyes.
I'm coming for you, I'm coming for you,
Wherever you go.
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