We have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the World. 1 John 4:14
There is darkness. There is fear. There is the wretched doubt. There is the traumatizing thought there is no love for me. There is a world wracked by mental illness. There is a mind (mine) on the cusp of sanity. Where will all of this lead? What can I possibly hang onto?
Yet, even here, I push through. For I have seen and now I testify.Â
It is true because we have seen it. For John, who walked with Jesus and wrote these words, he had literally seen the Father’s Son be the Savior of the world. But, his call was the same as ours–to see AND testify.
We see Jesus with our eyes as he comes to life through the pages of Scripture. But, we don’t truly see him until we believe He is all He says He is. It is here where our destiny is held. Do we really see Him?
I love this passage because it is so often missed. It takes context and, for me, deep focus to get the core meaning. ‘We have seen and testify’ is the anchor which grounds the whole passage. And it leads right to this gem a few verses later, perfect love.
We all want perfect love. I know it’s true. This whole world is longing for a love which surrounds and heals…forever. But, how do we get there? How do we find it?
We see and we testify.
We see the King of Love in His glory. And we stand up tall and say it is true. We believe it so much we are willing to face anything, to be persecuted, or to die for it.
It’s a striking thing how it’s easy to jump to the end of the passage. The part where it says perfect love casts out fear. We want to be surrounded by that perfect love. We want to come to the place of ‘no fear’. But no matter how much we look for it, it remains a fuzzy thing.
It is only when we see and testify of Him.
Why?
Because the Savior, this Jesus, is the Love of all time. The Father’s perfect gift given. The One and Only. The fullness of grace and truth. To see Him is to swim in an ocean of all things good. Grace. Faithfulness. Life. Song. Dance. Freedom. And yes, Love. There is no journey to the heart of love without seeing Him.
I think of my story. I was meditating on this passage before I went to the hospital in Hungary. It had become precious to me before, but it could not be compared to what it came to mean after. I could feel God’s love before, but after? After, every easy notion of His love fell away. I saw it was only because of Jesus’ perfect work to save, defeating the deepest darkness, that I would ever experience true love.
It sounds so simple. And it is. But it is also clear. There is a face, a body, hands and feet. All of these are charged with purpose, fulfilling every last thing to obtain redemption. This we see. This we testify.
These days, beloved ones. These days. You know. I know. We know. How deeply we need the clarity of such a One. It is nothing less than perfect love which will see us through. And this love is found only one dear and precious way.
See today. Testify today. The time is short and the world is desperate. Be the love you know. Lead the lost Home. Hold nothing back because He held nothing back. And when you need to, rest in perfect love.
