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Ransomed, Healed, Restored, Forgiven

So says the great hymn from Henry Lyte and John Goss, “Praise,
My Soul, The King of Heaven.”

I live in a village where mobile phone reception can be intermit-
tent. No matter how sound or strong the sender’s signal, the very
best of messages can get lost in the ether if the wind is in the
wrong direction. Many a time I’ve had to go into the garden to
improve reception.

This reminds me of answered (and unanswered) prayer. Jesus
has not had to suffer time and time again since the Crucifixion.
When He said, definitively, “It is finished,” from the Cross, He
meant it – once for all. God the Father meant it too, and the veil
of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom (see Matthew
27:51.) Some commentators suggest this veil was sixty feet high,
30 feet wide, and a stunning four inches thick – a span of a man’s
hand – based on Jewish tradition - though not in the Scriptures.
Whatever its dimensions, it was meant to be a barrier between us
and the Holy of Holies – a barrier Heaven’s agency rends in two
as Jesus, with a loud cry, gave up His Spirit.

It's interesting that God so loved the ‘world’ that He gave His
Son. The price was paid at the Cross for all of creation as its
Creator paid the price for every failure, every atrocity, every sin
committed – past, present, future. But not all are saved although
all have had the ransom paid on their behalf. The problem is not
with the Giver, but rather with the receiver.

This has profound implications when we pray to God asking Him
to do what He has already done. It is as if He has placed untold
wealth into our account that we need to learn how to draw
down. Asking Him to place more in the account is futile. This is
where the word ‘receive’ comes into play multiple times in the
New Testament.

As Pentecost approaches, we have a very powerful example.
Yes, the disciples were told to wait in Jerusalem until they were
clothed with power from on high, but after the Holy Spirit was

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