His Cloak of Grace: Awaiting Publication

A Modern-Day Redemption Story

Her innocence was placed on sale like a piece of jewelry, sold to the highest bidder. For three years, Madison has waited for her chance to escape the life of prostitution forced on her. Now the moment has come. The man named Hayes has won three nights with her—outside of her owner’s compound in the jungles of Colombia. 

Missionary philanthropist Adrian Rockfield has slipped undercover to rescue Madison. He’s also her husband, thanks to a Texan law permitting her grandmother to say the vows for her by proxy. As they flee from Latin American drug lords, Rock keeps his word not to touch her, but his strong faith probes putrid wounds. Filled with rage against God and men, Madison vows to gain total independence once she’s safe in the United States. 

Will Rock’s gentle protection be the key to liberate her not only from Cartel vengeance but also from the shame that torments her?

“And when I passed by again

I saw that you were old enough for love.

So I wrapped My cloak around you to cover your nakedness

and declared My marriage vows.

I made a covenant with you, says the Sovereign Lord,

and you became Mine.” 

Ezekiel 16:8 NLT

 

Behind the Story

His Cloak of Grace is an analogy of Christ's passionate desire for intimacy and healing of His Bride. I wrote the story in 2009 after reading Not For Sale, a firsthand look by David Batstone at the horrors of modern-day slavery and human trafficking around the globe. The devaluation and abuse of trafficked persons hit me deeply. As I mulled over the damage done to a trafficked person's emotions and spirit, the plot for His Cloak of Grace formed.

Christ is my Rock. He is the amazing Servant-King who loves each and every one of us without ever giving up. He persists with relentless passion in His desire to hold us close to His heart no matter how much we may resist. 

Our weakness doesn’t change His strength. Our anger and need to be in control don’t alter Who He is. He is God who made the heavens and earth, and His character remains untarnished by our sinfulness. 

His holiness offers the safety we need. His grace opens the door to enter into fellowship with Him. As we gaze upon the beauty in His face, we become more and more like Him, a fragrant aroma, pleasing to Him. 

May we throw ourselves upon His relentless grace and cling to the beautiful mercy of His sacrifice upon the Cross. May each and every one of us discover with deeper joy and greater clarity the glorious wonder of being loved by our risen King Jesus! 

Representation of Christ in His Cloak of Grace

The nickname "Rock" I Corinthians 10:4 "They drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ."

Related to His Bride as a distant kinsman Luke 3 Jesus' human genealogy

Fulfilled responsibilities of kinsman redeemer 
Responsibilities
Slavery: Leviticus 25:47-49 "If any of your fellow Israelites fall into poverty and are forced to sell themselves to such a foreigner…they may be bought back by a brother, an uncle, or a cousin."
Murder: Numbers 35:29 "The victim's nearest relative is responsible for putting the murderer to death."
Inheritance: Leviticus 25:25 "If one of your fellow Israelites falls into poverty and is forced to sell some family land, then a close relative should buy it back for him."

Christ's Fulfillment
Slavery: Hebrews 2:14-15 "Because God's children are human beings-made of flesh and blood-the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could He die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could He set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying."
Murder: II Thessalonians 1:7-8 And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don't know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus."
Inheritance: II Peter 3:13 "But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth He has promised, a world filled with God's righteousness.'

Able and willing to rescue when no one else was
Isaiah 59:16-17 "He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So he himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm, and his justice sustained him. He put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on his head. He clothed himself with a robe of vengeance and wrapped himself in a cloak of divine passion."

Overwhelmed with compassion
Hosea 11:8-10 "Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah or demolish you like Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. No, I will not unleash my fierce anger. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy. For someday the people will follow me."

Listened to the Father's voice
John 8:28 "I do nothing on my own but say only what the Father taught me."

Not recognized as Deliverer
Isaiah 53:1,3 "Who has believed our message? He was despised and rejected-a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief."

Passionate love for his bride
Song of Songs 4:9-10 "You have captured my heart, my treasure, my bride. You hold it hostage with one glance of your eyes, with a single jewel of your necklace. Your love delights me, my treasure, my bride. Your love is better than wine."

Alluring us with his love
Hosea 2:14-16 "But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt. When that day comes, says the Lord, you will call me 'my husband' instead of 'my master'."

Returning a second time for retribution
Acts 17:31 "For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed."

Representation of Christ's Bride in His Cloak of Grace

Held captive by a cruel enemy
II Timothy 2:26 "Then they will come to their sense and escape from the devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants."

Terrorized by fear of Death
Hebrews 2:15 "Only in this way could He set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying."

Enslaved to wrong beliefs
II Peter 2:19 "They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you."

Unable to rescue ourselves
Romans 5:6 "When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners."

Purchased from darkness
Colossians 1:13-14 "For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins."

Only a new relationship grants freedom
Galatians 3:22 "But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God's promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ."

Given in marriage
II Corinthians 11:2 "I promised you as a pure bride to one husband-Christ."

Granted a new identity and inheritance
Galatians 4:7 "Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir."

Resisting comfort
Jeremiah 31:15 "A cry is heard in Ramah-deep anguish and bitter weeping. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted-for her children are gone."

Demanding Independence
I Peter 2:25 "Once you were like sheep who wandered away, but now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls."

Surviving through wrong means instead of surrender
Ephesians 5:17-18 "Don't act thoughtlessly but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead be filled with the Holy Spirit."

Testimony needed to defeat the enemy
Revelation 12:11 "And they defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die."

Calling to Share Truth
Matthew 28:19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."

Precious Faith

Liquid gold, poured down.

Poured from heaven,

from the heart of God.

Liquid gold, faith refined in the fire.

Faith poured out in sacrifice,

abandoned to the heart of God.

Trusting, trusting, trusting.

Hoping, believing, seeing the invisible.

 

Liquid gold poured

from the purest of hearts

into the mold of mine.

Cascading, flowing, descending,

filling my soul with hope

and beauty and truth.

Liquid gold poured down.

 

Faith borne in anguish,

flooding a life yielded,

submitted to the Father’s good will.

Faith flourishing, thriving,

abounding in grace

and mercy and truth.

Faith overcoming.

 

Liquid faith, not the kind

instantly visible

or the kind on display

like a jewel, a diamond,

a gold-molded ring.

No, the kind of faith hidden,

quiet, precious in the eyes of God.

Discerned by a few,

too fiery to be on display.

 

What kind of faith do you see?

A precious ring set in mold,

worn by the Master.

Or precious faith,

liquefied, purified by flame.

No hands can hold it.

No devil can stop it.

The heat, the passion,

the ardent love consumes it.

 

Faith filled with love,

no crisis can destroy it.

Hands of God alone,

gentle and strong enough to mold it.

Let faith have its work then.

Its patient persistence.

Refined seven times.

Radiant heart and spirit.

Judgment and Mercy

“So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:12-13

The other day, I noticed a Facebook discussion. One lady commented, “I thought God doesn’t judge.”

Really?

I thought of all the times in the Old Testament when God certainly did judge both Israel and other nations for their sins and idolatry. I thought of the Book of Acts when Peter confronts Ananias and Sapphira for lying to the Holy Spirit and they instantly die (5:1-11). I thought about when an angel struck King Herod for accepting the people’s praise that he was a god (Acts 12:20-23).

I thought of all the passages in Scripture that promise a day when the wicked are punished and the righteous live forever in peace. In fact, isn’t that the Lord’s promise to those who suffer for the case of Christ? (Revelation 6:9-11)

Although Jesus told us not to judge one another, it is vital we understand that God is and always will be Judge.  Pastor Nick Gough at Faith Center says, “Scripture needs to dictate our attitude.”

The Apostle Peter declares, “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment” (II Peter 2:9).

Psalm 96:10,13 proclaims, “Say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns…He shall judge the people righteously.’ For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with His truth.”

I thought, “Probably a lot of people think Jesus’ sacrifice took away God’s judgment.” Graham Cooke on his DVD series The Art of Thinking Brilliantly said, “God has no wrath left to pour out because He poured it out on Jesus” (see Isaiah 53:4-6). Yet, John the Apostle had his visions of the Bowls of Wrath being poured out on Earth after Jesus' Ascension (Revelation 16:1). So, how can both be true? The answer, of course, is the Gospel.

Jesus said, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:17-18).

The Apostle Paul elaborates on this truth in Romans 6-8. He sums it up by saying, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (8:1). In II Corinthians 5:10, he reminds us, however, to live with Godly fear because, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

James shares a similar warning: “Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!” (5:9) Finally, the Book of Revelation emphasizes the terror of that Last Day when we are either protected by Christ’s sacrifice or found guilty in the eyes of our Creator. The Apostle John states, “I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away…. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books…. And everyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (20:11-15).

We’ve been freed from condemnation, not because the Judge left or cancelled the Final Day of Reckoning, but because when we accept Jesus as Savior, the Judge sees us every day with the precious blood of His Son covering us. All is forgiven. We’ve received a Heart Transplant and the Indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit. We’re Family.

And that’s Amazing.