He Will Reveal Himself as Servant

Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He WILL bring forth justice to the nations. Isaiah 42:1

In February 2009 my 18 year old daughter Maggie had a horse back riding accident where she suffered a concussion upon impact, also causing a small bone to break behind her eye socket. A couple of surgeries were required to repair her eye. During that time she had to be very still, so I willingly served her. I brought her food

, helped her dress, and often just sat by her side and held her hand. Every single act of service to my daughter was deeply immersed in a love that I cannot explain.

Jesus holds this kind of love, but it is even more pure. Actually, it's completely pure. He tells us, not begrudgingly but graciously, that "He came to serve not to be served" (Mark 10:45). That's a difficult truth for me to grasp, the holy King leaving His throne to serve a messy people, but He chose to do it. He touched the sick, fed the hungry, and pursued the lost. He did not hesitate to get His hands into the brokenness of people's lives. There is one passage, in the climax of Jesus' life, that baffles me. Put yourself in the room, and even step into the "feet" of one of the disciples:

"Now the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end...(Jesus) got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded" (John 13:1, 4-5).

Jesus, the King of Creation, knelt and washed His friends' feet. I wonder what He was feeling at this moment? I don't think He was rushed with the task, or bothered by the filth, or anxious for what was to come. He was all there, present in the moment, savoring these friendships. He knew they weren't perfect, and that in a matter of hours, these same feet would scatter from His side; yet He kept washing. I can only humanly compare it to the time that I was serving my daughter Maggie; I was fully engaged with her. Intimate love was my driving force. How much more then would Jesus serve in this personal way? Soul Sisters, if you were there, He would have washed your feet. His love for His disciples and His love for you drove Him forward to the cross.

He will intimately care for us in our mess of life. He will wash our hearts with holiness. He will serve us by opening our eyes to see Him daily. He will do it because He said so.

FURTHER: Matthew 4:23-24; John 13:1-5; Mark 10:45

Dear Lord,

What can I say other than "Your love is amazing!"? Nothing is too messy or too broken for You. How can we thank You for compassionately touching the caked-on-muddy-stuff of our lives? Let us hear Your answer: "If then, the Lord and the Teacher washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet" (John 13:14). Yes, Servant King, we hear Your heart's desire. Please touch us with Your love and fill us with your Spirit, so we too will humbly serve those around us. In Your Name. Amen