"If that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more."

For many years, I saw God's heart in a way that was very fixed.

The image was of One who desired for me to be Holy...and as a result, turned away upon seeing my blemishes.

One who was in constant search for me to be conformed to the image of Christ… and ONLY sought me in order to relentlessly do everything in His power to make sure this work (me) was finished upon Christ’s return.

One who was only interested in my perfection and not in my shortcomings.

But in this fixed image of God, I was blinded to His heart. In effect, I made God devoid of any and all emotion. And myself? A mere project in need of fixing.

But this imagery began to become challenged when coming across certain verses in the Bible over the years.

One example includes the following passage (SN: Here, the Lord speaks to King David, after King David’s most recent sin of raping another man’s wife. King David then killed the wife’s husband. I know. It’s quite a bit.):

7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah.
And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more.
9 Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.
2 Samuel 12:7-10

In His exchange with David, the Lord stated all of the ways in which He, the Lord, had been faithful to David. After reminding David of these things, instead of only telling David the consequences that were to come due to his sin—rightfully deserved—the Lord leaves me struck by these words:

If that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more.

Have you ever committed a sin and then expected the next reigning blow from the Lord? You confess, you repent, and when something bad happens—state to yourself, “Well, I deserve it. The Lord is angry with me.” These thoughts can sometimes resound in one’s mind when a person doesn’t know the heart of their true Father.

The moment you truly look into the Father’s eyes in this passage, you don’t see anger—but instead, you see a glimpse of A Father’s hurt and outstretched hands.The Lord simply wanted David to turn to Him. David had no reason to steal from others.

“If that had not been enough, David...I would have given you much, much more.”

If the houses had not been enough; if David’s wives had not been enough; if territorial kingdoms had not been enough etc.—the Lord doesn’t say “I will just remove them and see how you fare.” But instead, the Lord says, “If that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more.”

My heart just drops.

The Lord simply wanted David to come to Him.

We often view the Lord’s discipline, especially in the Old Testament, and cringe. We easily succumb to thinking that this God is terrifying, full of wrath, and unforgiving. It’s easy to go to the next set of verses and linger over the consequences that the Lord pronounced over David due to his sin. But before doing so…take pause at this one verse that God tells David right beforehand.

“If that had not been enough...I would have given you much, much more.”

Be challenged today by the Father’s heart. I dare you to take your eyes off of yourself and peer into His heart. Yes, our sins reap consequences. But more than viewing the damages caused by our own sinfulness, consider the feelings of the One most affected—Your beloved Lord.

He's not devoid of feeling. He's not unaffected by your actions. He's NOT more concerned about a mission rather than a relationship. See His heart...just this once.

You're not a project.

You're not looked upon through eyes of disgust.

You're loved.

And because You're loved, He will chase after you. He will discipline you. He will desire for you to be holy...because He is holy.

Why? Because He desires the most to be intimate with you.

Take a moment to meditate on the words that the Father shared with David, before sharing with him the punishment to come.

"If that was not enough (insert your name), I would have given you much, much more."

PonderedThought: What has the Lord given you that you’re saying “isn’t enough” through your actions recently?

Is it His peace? His Protection? His Guidance? His Presence? His current Provision? Your Family?

Hear Him now saying….

“If that had not been enough (insert name)...I would have given you much more.”

Instead of running to others/things, He simply wants you to come to Him.

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