City of Angels –6 February 2009
God has a great sense of humour in my life, after finishing writing the devotionals I went downstairs to rest about 9pm and felt God prompting me to turn the telly on!!! A film I had not seen before was just starting and from the beginning it captured my heart with its intimate storyline and awesome soundtrack.
Meg Ryan plays a skilled heart surgeon who begins to doubt her ability to save lives. She is observed by an angel, Seth, played by Nicholas Cage. She realises that despite doing her best the deaths which have occurred on her operating table are not within her control. From time to time Seth makes himself visible to her and in spite of the rules angels must adhere to, he finds himself falling in love with her. He learns that he has a choice and he ultimately decides to "fall" and in doing so enters into an earthly relationship with her. He made the ultimate sacrifice.
It is a sad love story and half way through I found myself sobbing my heart out feeling extremely lonely, feeling very aware of how much I miss that close companionship of another human being and after half a box of tissues, with Valentines Day looming, I had placed myself firmly on my pity pot! That’s when he captivated my heart.
Despite the overwhelming feelings of loneliness this film had brought to the surface, I knew I was not alone, in my sadness I felt the strong arms of my father wrapped around me like the plumpest duvet, they enveloped me and I remembered a recent intimate moonlight walk I had taken with him and the peace I had felt, I was not alone!
“O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me and your strength will support me”. Psalm 139:1-10
My favourite moments in the film are when at Dusk and Dawn, the angels stand on the beach and ‘listen’ to the sun setting and rising, they are so intimate with God they can hear his creation. I recently read “Velvet Elvis” by Rob Bell and a line stuck with me, “Knowing the Book of the Lord is not our primary goal, but rather knowing the Lord of the Book”.
By the end of the film God had lavished his love upon me; my weeping had turned to joy as I felt comforted and enveloped by his love, as the film finished I thanked him for captivating my heart and at that very moment two words appeared on the screen, just before the credits, they read………“FOR DAWN”. Today, take time to be captivated by his love.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=j42ApkIIdNc
Thank you Lord, for loving me, and all Gods people said……….. Amen | 