Written by Claire Hellar, Photo by Phoebe Ng
Sometimes you wake up and you need to be told that God loves you with a love stronger than death. A love that outlasts death. You need to hear Him say that He has not forgotten or abandoned you, that He loves you as much as if you were the only person alive on this earth. That if you had been the only person alive – the sole reason He had for going to the cross – He would still go. You need to be reminded that you are deeply loved by a completely sovereign God, and that you are forgiven for everything wrong that you have done and will do.
You ache to hear Him reassure you that He will fight for you (Exodus 14:14), that He will punish those who hurt you (Mark 9:42), and that He is a God who can sympathize with your weakness (Hebrews 4:15). You need Him to affirm that He does not willingly afflict or grieve you (Lamentations 3:33), but instead that He gives good gifts to you and has a future of hope planned out for you (Matt 7:11, Jer 29:11). That He thinks about you more often than you think about yourself (Psalm 139:18) and that He loved you before you were born.
You need to know that He is a God who stands by His promise:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:1-3)
You crave to have spoken into your heart of hearts the truth that we are conquerors. Co-heirs. Brides of Christ. Children of God.
He has promised to lavish His great love upon us (1 John 3:1). He has promised that we are not alone on this pilgrimage through life toward heaven, that no matter what happens to us, we have a Mediator who intercedes for us in heaven and is always looking out for us, a Shepherd who keeps us from falling. He pledges to us His great faithfulness and mercies anew every day (Lamentations 3:22-23), and a steadfast love that never stops (Psalm 63:3) because it is simply his nature to lavish it upon us, not something we deserve based on who we are or earn by what we do.
So if you wake up feeling overwhelmed by life, stressed out, or afraid, or if you feel that nothing will ever be right again because something horrible has transpired, remember that you are surrounded, protected, loved, sheltered and utterly forgiven by the God of the universe. Let this be the note from Jesus that brings you word of God’s faithfulness:
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
(Psalm 143:8)
- Choosing God - December 10, 2013
- His Love Overcomes - September 27, 2012
- The One Who Says “I Do” - September 13, 2012
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