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."