The God of At-Onement
On March 13, 2026 by Reading Time: 3 minutes
On a Thursday night, I sit in a circle of fourteen people. The leader creates space for us to practice forgiveness.
“Think of a debt someone owed you,” he says.
But no thought of anything owed to me comes to mind. I am disinterested in the agenda and eager to meet with my God, so instead of working to dredge up a debt owed me, I imagine myself face-to-face with my Lord and say whatever I want:
“Lord, you deserve my utmost respect.”
I sense a response:
“Amy, I will give you the unity you desire. I am the God of atonement.”
At first, this conversation may seem disjointed. If you tell someone they deserve your utmost respect, you might expect a response such as, “Thank you,” or perhaps, “You’re kind to say that.” When I said it to God, I half expected him to respond with, “Yes, I do” because, well, he does.
But God took the conversation in a different direction because he knows the desire of my heart. He treasures it, and he speaks to the deepest parts of my heart—parts that do not always come directly out of my mind or mouth. Jesus sometimes spoke this way when he walked the earth, addressing the deeper needs of people’s hearts rather than simply responding to their words.
In his conversation with the woman at the well, Jesus spoke in a seemingly disjointed way.
“Go and get your husband,” he said in the middle of a conversation about water.
Perhaps she wasn’t only thirsty for water. Perhaps she was thirsty for one good husband. Jesus knew she had been married five times and was currently living with a man who was not her husband. (John 4) Was Jesus addressing one of the deepest longings of her heart?
It seems he can hear the quiet cries of our hearts—perhaps better than we can.
“Amy, I will give you the unity you desire. I am the God of atonement.” he had said.
In the week leading up to this conversation, God had been teaching me about the word atonement. I pronounce it differently than I did before. Instead of uh-tone-ment, I pronounce it as at-one-ment because I learned the word atone comes from the joining of two words: at + one.1 God is the God of “at-onement.” Oneness. Unity—the state my heart so deeply desires with my God and with my husband.
“Amy, I will give you the unity you desire. I am the God of atonement.” he had said.
His words raise my desire to respect him well, and my mind floods with that which I owe him.
“Lord, I owe you my utmost level of trust.
I owe you complete obedience.
I owe you quietness and strength.
I owe you a life lived in the peace you have given me.
I owe you an upright walk shining with gratitude.
I owe you the sight of me, faithfully wearing the beautiful clothes you have given me.
I owe you shedding all clothes of complaint and worry.
I owe you kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and tenderness toward all as I walk the earth.
Will you take what I owe you?”
I wait for his response and expect him to give me something in return—an exchange—for he is the God of exchange: gladness for mourning, beauty for ashes (Isaiah 61:3), forgiveness for sins (1 John 1:9), eternal life for trust (John 3:16).
And then he answers.
“Amy, I give you myself.”
***
Works Cited:
- Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of atonement.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/atonement. Accessed 12 March, 2026.
