God is Jealous Over You
by Jilly Lyon-Taylor
There are various translations of this verse in James’s letter, but the one which impacted me deeply a while ago, was the one which says that God jealously longs for the spirit he put in us.
Have you ever thought of God being jealous over you? For us the word jealousy has connotations of sin and ungodly feelings. However, there is a righteous kind of jealousy. It would be a bit like the feelings my husband might justifiably have if I told him I was going to spend time with another man in preference to him. As I have promised myself to him in the covenant of marriage, he would be rightly jealous of another taking that place. It’s a bit like that with God.
We are spiritual beings, made for relationship with Him, in covenant with Him. When our spirits are drawn into other involvements, which could be idolatry or worship of any kind, or when we look to anyone or anything else to meet our need for love and acceptance, God is rightly jealous. He wants us to be wholly set apart for Him. He tells us this in Exodus 20:3-5 when he commands us to have no other gods before Him and not to make idols for ourselves, ‘for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God.’
Have you given God cause to be jealous? Is there anything that is drawing you away from Him? He is longing for you to be wholly set apart for Him.
Prayer: Lord, forgive me for the times when I have looked to people or things to satisfy me, when all I need is in You. Thank You that You love me so much that You’re jealous over me. Amen.
Jilly Lyon-Taylor is part of the Leadership Team at Ellel Pierrepont. She worked in publishing and then with children in Hong Kong before concentrating on being a full-time mother and serving in the local church. Her desire to see people healed led her to the Luke Nine Eleven Training Scheme(NETS) at Pierrepont, and now she teaches and ministers there.
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