The words "vulnerability" and "God" don't seem like they should go together. After all, as we've been looking at God's attributes, we've seen how He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-authoritative. That certainly prevents Him from being vulnerable, doesn't it? It does unless He decides to make Himself vulnerable, which is exactly what He did.
As unbelievable as it sounds, God opened up and made Himself vulnerable to His creation by willingly putting Himself in a position to be hurt by us both physically and emotionally. We don't need to look any further than the Cross to see this. It's there that God's vulnerability is most vivid. Not only did the Son submit to the physical torture of crucifixion, but think of how the Father's heart broke on behalf of His Son. That isn't a picture of a stoic or distant deity interacting at arm's length. That's God caring enough about His creation to be vulnerable. And He continues to be vulnerable.
In Ephesians 4:30 we're warned against grieving the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us. To grieve someone is to hurt them, and it's actually possible for us to hurt the Holy Spirit by living outside of His will for our lives. For when we do, we subject Him to our disobedience. Again, this is Almighty God putting Himself in a vulnerable position.
So what do we do with it? Do we live in blatant disregard to this amazing attribute of His? Or do we appreciate it to the point where it breaks our heart to knowingly hurt Him any more than we already have? God has made Himself vulnerable to us, so let's do Him the honor of surrendering to Him. God opened up and made Himself vulnerable to His creation by willingly putting Himself in a position to be hurt by us both physically and emotionally.
Think About It...
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
