Wonderful and deep indeed is God’s love for His saints! We shall here include some examples that may indicate how deep this love is.
First of all is God’s call to them to work with Him.
The Lord said to His holy disciples, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit.” (Jn 15: 16) And the apostle says, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son … Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called…” (Rom 8 : 29, 30).
How beautiful it is for a person to be known to God, predestined by Him, called to work with Him, and to be conformed to the image of His Son!
More beautiful also is that a person be chosen by God, Known to Him, and called while still in his mother’s womb! An example is Jeremiah the Prophet to whom the Lord said, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jer 1:5)
John the Baptist likewise was chosen before being conceived of, and an angel announced it to his father Zacharias, saying, “your wife will bear you a son… He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many… to the Lord their God… make ready a people prepared for the Lord…” “He will be great in the sight of the Lord.” (Lk 1 : 15-17)
Another example is Samson of whom the Angel of the Lord announced to his mother that he would be a Nazirite to the Lord (Jud 13: 5) Paul the Apostle as well was chosen from his mother’s womb as he said in (Gal 1: 15, 16) : “When it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles…” other examples:
• St. Shenouda the Archmanderite who was chosen by the Lord before being conceived of to be a father to the monks and anchorites.
• Jacob the father of the fathers also was appointed head and ruler over his brothers while still in his mother’s womb (Gen 25: 23); and was even chosen that Christ would come from his seed, in whom all the nations were to be blessed.
God in His love for all those chose them to edify His kingdom, gave them blessing, and even made them a blessing.
To Abraham God said, “I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you… curse who curses you.” (Gen 12: 2 , 3) Actually so many saints were a blessing to their and even to all generations. So many became “theophorus” -bearing God – and many received visions and revelations. Among those was Paul who was in danger of being exalted by such revelations. (2 Cor 12 : 7)
Some saints were given inspiration, others received God’s words directly from His mouth, others received power to work miracles, like Moses who divided the waters of the Red Sea, brought water out of the rock, and brought down manna and quails from heaven.
God in His love gives abundantly, without measure. He opens the windows of heaven and pours out His blessings till we say: enough!
In His love God gave His saints the Holy Spirit, the blessing, the grace, and love. He dwelt in them and gave them wisdom and whatever they asked for themselves or for others. He sought their opinion and did what they required as He did with Moses and Abraham.
His love for His saints made Him ascribed to them His own works.
He calls the Law “Moses’ Law” although it is His Law, and calls His churches after the names of His saints. He ascribes the miracles of healing worked through the Virgin, for instance, to her, though it is He who heals. He considers whoever honors His saints as honoring Him, and whoever rejects them as rejecting Him. He works in them, with them, and through them. He made them His ambassadors, stewards, and mediators on the earth to bring His grace to the others. He called them friends and brothers (Rom 8 : 29).
He loved His own who were in the world. He loved them to the end (Jn 13 : 1). Therefore He considered them as Himself.
We read some amazing words He said when He gave them power to work miracles.
“He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will also do; and greater works than these he will do.” (Jn 14) I feel bewildered and overwhelmed before these words. What type of love or humbleness is this! He provided His saints with amazing power His Holy Spirit (Acts 1: 8). He gave them communion with the Holy Spirit and with the divine nature in work ( 1 Pet 1: 4), and made them stewards of God’s mysteries which angels desire to look into (1 Cor 4: 1; 1 Pet 1: 12).
Due to His love He gave His saints the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
He distributed these gifts to each one individually as He wills (1 Cor 12). He let them enjoy His friendship, like Moses who stayed with Him forty days on the mount, and Abraham who was called his friend. He also stayed forty days with His disciples after the resurrection speaking to them about things related to His kingdom. All of those enjoyed Him as David said;
Taste and see how good the Lord is! What a wonderful taste!
With this love He appeared to many of His saints He appeared to Anba Bishoy, so the saint washed the Lord’s feet. He appeared to Anba Paula of Tammuh and said to him, “You labor too much, My beloved Paula. This is enough!” And He appeared to Elijah the Prophet when he was fleeing from Queen Jezebel and comforted him and entrusted him with a message. God also has sent him an angel to strengthen him and give him food (1 kgs 19: 5- 8). And He appeared to Jacob when he was fleeing from his brother Esau. He comforted him and promised to be with him wherever he went and bring him back to that land (Gen 28).
Many times did the Lord appear to His saints giving them wonderful comfort.
Those who had communion with Him enjoyed comfort, peace, and joy as the apostle says, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” (Phil 4:4) This made the fathers able to live in solitude in the wilderness enjoying the divine love, and finding inexpressible comfort in it and deep pleasure in the communion with God.
He gave His saints the awareness of being in His presence as David the Prophet and Elijah the Prophet felt (Ps 16; 1 kgs 18: 15).
The human soul that tasted God’s love says, “His left hand is under my head, and His right hand embraces me.” (Song 2:6)
Because of His love, God surrounds us with His angels to protect and serve us.
“Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” “The angel of the Lord encamps all around” those who fear Him, and delivers them.” (Heb 1 : 14; Ps 34)
How amazing that the angels nerve us who are unworthy even to see them! God also give His saints the right to intercede with Him.
He said to Job’s friends after rebuking the, “Go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering, and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly.” (Job 42: 8) And when He called Saul of Tarsus He sent him to His servant Ananias to tell him what he should do, giving by this honor to Ananias and to priesthood.
Again the Holy Spirit says, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13 : 2) Certainly they wondered in their heart. If the Lord had called them, who were they to interfere! But the Spirit wanted the call to pass through the legal channels. It is due to His love to them and support to their mission. Therefore they fasted, prayed, and laid their hands on them (Acts 13: 2-4).
God sent an angel to Cornelius the Gentile to tell him that his prayers and alms had come up for a memorial before God. Then God sent him to his servant Peter to tell him what he ought to do (Acts 10: 1-6)
God likes to work through His messengers, His priests, to honor them as stewards and to establish their mission in the church.
A wonderful story revealing God’s love for His saints is setting assists to Moses the Prophet to bear with him the burden of the people.
However to honor him before them the Lord let Moses choose them by himself, then He came down in the cloud and spoke to him, took o the Spirit that was upon him and placed on them. The Lord wanted them to know that they were mere helpers to Moses, so He kept for Moses His honor and presidency in their sight.
In His love God gave His saints power over nature as He did with Adam and Eve and with Noah and his children (Gen 1: 6; 6: 19-21).
How strange are the words of Elijah the Prophet; “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rains these years, except at my word”!
And it so happened according to Elijah’s word Elijah also gave a blessing to the widow at Zarephath of Sidon, that : “the bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.” And this actually happened (1 kgs 17: 14 – 16).
Moreover the Lord prevented many beasts from doing harm to His saints. Examples are : Jonah in the belly of the big fish; the three young men in the furnace of fire; Daniel in the lions’ den; Anba Paula in his departure and the lions that dug a grave for him that St. Anthony might not do it himself but only command them. All such examples attracted people to faith.
God honored His saints in their life, and also in their death. He sent angels to carry the soul of poor Lazarus to Abraham’s bosom ( Lk 16: 22), and the soul of Anba Amoun with songs and joy unto heaven, and St. Anthony saw it.
Some saints saw lights on their departure; others saw saints coming to receive their souls, from others came the smell of incense. Therefore the Scripture says the beautiful words: “Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his!” (Num 23: 10)
Strange indeed that God, in His love, calls His saints “gods”! (Ps 82: 6; Ex 7: 1; 4: 16) He meant that they be lords.
He also gave them some of His titles like:
– “The light of the world” (Jn 12: 46; 1: 9; Mt 5: 14). But He is the true light and they derive from Him.
– “The Good Shepherd”, and He set shepherds in His church (In 10:11; Eph 4: 11).
God’s love also appear in His kindness towards them even in His punishment when they sin. Man is very cruel towards whoever falls in his hand; therefore David said his famous words: “Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great.” (2 Sam 24: 14) And although God punished David, His love for him continued even after his death! He treated his son Solomon with kindness and said that He did so for the sake of his father David (1 kgs 11: 13) And for Solomon the Lord said to his father David, “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall no depart from him, as I took it from Saul.” (2 Sam 7: 13-15)
The Lord’s kindness also appears when Peter denied Him thrice with cursing and oaths (Mt 26: 69-74), and how He met him with deep kindness after the resurrection, establishing his apostleship: “Feed My lambs … Tend My sheep…” (Jn 21: 15 – 17)
Indeed God deals with people according to His deep love, not according to their sins; He stretches His hand to the stubborn and rebellious, because His love for them is much stronger than their stubbornness. As a spiritual father once said: all the sins of the people, compared to God’s love, is like a handful of mud thrown into the ocean! It cannot disturb it but will be in its depth and give out clear water.