“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. … you are precious and honored in my sight, and … I love you, (Isaiah 43:1a and 4b)
WRITTEN BY MICHELE HANSEN
How sure are we that God loves us? Doesn’t that sound like a silly question? I don’t think it is, though. What we believe about this very thing directly correlates to how we will represent God…
There’s a wall-hanging in my office that has this verse on it, Isaiah 43. This passage of scripture is speaking directly to the Israelites but as with all of scripture, because it is God authored and they are His words, He will use it for all people.
I was seeking the Lord, my eyes were looking at the wall hanging, but I wasn’t “seeing” it. Then, as if God shined a spotlight on it, I read it again, (like I had so many times before) …and it stood out to me… Do I really believe that He loves me like that?
There are so many “Christian cliches” that center around God’s love, or His mercy, His grace, His kindness, His goodness…. etc., etc., etc. I am guilty of steam rolling right through the implications of what is actually going on here. How do attributes of God really affect us? How should they affect us?
What IS going on here? If I am being made aware of the question in my soul, how many others may have that question? And what do I do with the question of love? It’s obviously important to look at it.
So. The Love of God. God’s love. God is love. His love is perfect and casts out fear. (1 John 4:18) It is sacrificial, and Christ proved it. (Romans 5:8; 1 John 3:16; John 15:13; 1 John 4:19) His love never fails. (1Cor 13:8) I have no doubt all this is absolutely, 100% certifiably true. But…do I believe it for me? Do you believe it for you?
If you are someone who absolutely, without a doubt knows and experiences the reality of God’s love, I am so, so glad for you. If you are someone like me who knows that the reality of God’s love is absolutely true and believe it with all my heart but kind of struggles with application? I feel ya.
I am reminded of the story of Mary Magdalene. Her story is one of absolute grace and redemption that led her to remain with Jesus until the end and beyond. She would not be dissuaded from pouring out her whole life into following and serving Christ. She had experienced the healing balm of God’s love and the power it manifested in her life when the Lord banished seven evil spirits from her and restored her to His righteous design. (Luke 8:1-2; Mark 15:40; Mark 15:47; Matthew 27:61; John 20:14-17).
We are called to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. Full on selfless love. The kind that stands up to the wolves of society, the fear of the future, the ravages of ageing, the despair of loneliness. The kind of love that sacrificed everything to bring His family back into right relationship with Him.
I have always said love is a verb. It’s actions. It’s witnessed in the raw reality of the cross. It is walking through the hardest of situations and never giving up. But can we “feel” this kind of love? I do know that human love can’t even begin to compare to God’s love. Feelings are great indicators, but they are fickle and can’t always be trusted as reality. The scriptures that talk about God’s love say, “God’s love is…” it doesn’t say, “God’s love feels like…”
Is. A simple two letter word that distinguishes intangible “what ifs” from solid reality. God is love. Love is 1 Corinthians 13.
I’m working on allowing God to broaden my understanding of this amazing and beautiful reality of our Lord. Believing it to be true is different than experiencing its truth. I don’t know what that looks like, but I do know God is faithful and if we ask, He will answer.
I pray for all of us that we would continue to grow in faith and trust in the absolute reality of God’s beautiful love. A love that parted the waters, brought down walls, set captive hearts free and destroyed the power of sin and death…all for our good and His glory.
