Tag: God’s love

Posted in Thoughts from School, Thoughts from Scripture

Faithful Love

Posted on by Ann B. Hibbard

Today I ran across a thought that was started nearly two years ago. I don’t know why I stopped writing it. I don’t even really know what was going on in life at the time. All I have now is a few paragraphs and a date stamp to let me know when I started writing. That was enough to nudge me to go dig back in my journals for the source thoughts. (And that was enough to remind me just how valuable journaling is — a practice I do not do consistently enough and have been very lax on lately. But that’s another post for another time.) And it was enough to let me know that I needed this message this morning, just as I needed it then!

On that particular morning, I was reading through Psalm 143 as a devotional. The first few verses inspired some great personal prayer time. I read the whole psalm, but then came back to just pray and ponder through the first half. If you read those first few verses, you can imagine that it wasn’t necessarily a prayer of praise as much as a prayer of longing and aching. I didn’t really feel pursued by a specific enemy, but a lot of challenges weighed down my heart that morning. The first few verses of the psalm helped me turn that weight into prayers — and helped remind me who the God I serve really is.

At the time, the second half of the psalm didn’t really jump out at me. I was caught up in the first half. In the prayer. In the ache. In the concerns. But then I had an interruption in the flow and needed to walk away for a few minutes. It wasn’t long, but it was long enough for me to redirect from the journaling thoughts. To get caught up in other things, even for just a few minutes. So, when I came back, it was as if I was starting afresh.

Frequently, it can be hard to come back from interruptions in my morning reading, but that particular morning was different. The interruption ended up being exactly what I needed. Because when I came back, I didn’t return to the first half of Psalm 143. Instead, my eyes jumped ahead to the second half, starting with verse 7. That verse fit with my earlier prayer, but as I kept reading, I found a new prayer.

Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails. Don’t hide your face from me, or I will be like those going down to the Pit. Let me experience your faithful love in the morning, for I trust in you. Reveal to me the way I should go because I appeal to you. Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I come to you for protection. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me on level ground. Psalm 143:7-10 CSB

My journal records that I picked up a couple of other translations and wrote down the first part of verse eight in each of them:

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love… NIV

May I hear about your loyal love… NET

At first glance, it seems a little passive: “let me;” “let the morning;” “may I hear.” But it’s really not. This isn’t simply a statement of, “Oh yeah, I should know that He loves me.” Instead, it’s a tangible, engaging action on the part of God to tune our ears to the truth of His love. To meet us wherever we are in life, even when life feels rough, and actively bring us the news of His faithful love. His loyal love. His unfailing love. Love that we don’t just hear about but get to radically experience day in and day out, no matter our circumstances.

Love that He reminds us of in the most beautiful ways, even when we have drifted away from paying attention.

After pouring out his heart to the Lord so many centuries ago, David needed that reminder. I apparently needed it, too, that morning a couple of years ago when I was struggling so deeply.

And today it was yet again a beautiful reminder. God’s love for us isn’t a passive concept, hovering in the background as an idea that we can pull out when we need a warm fuzzy. It is the source of our trust in Him. It is the truth, reality, and light that guides our path. It is the power that rescues us and covers us with protection. It is our instructor in how to accomplish the will of God. It is the grace that leads us on level ground.

And God actively ensures that we are reminded of the truth of His love.

What a way to go into the day! May that be the message your heart and mind hear as you progress through today: God’s love is ready for you to experience. What a truth!

Posted in Thoughts from Prayer

The Love of God

Posted on by Ann B. Hibbard

I pray.

I have a prayer list. I also pray and journal through my daily Bible reading, seeking to listen to what the Spirit is saying to me through the Word of God.

I lift up short prayers during the day as needs or thoughts come to me.

Which obviously means that I do listen. I listen for His guidance about who and what to lift up to Him. I listen for nudges to send someone a text of encouragement. I listen for His teaching and correction, because I desperately want to be growing in righteousness and purity.

But lately I’ve been convicted of something. I’ve realized that I don’t listen for His affirmation. For His words of love. For His expression of delight in His creation.

Don’t get me wrong, I hunger for it. I’d love to know deep down in the core of my soul that He loves me. Truly loves me. That I am beloved and treasured by Him. That I bring Him delight as His creation.

Yes, I know Scripture states this to be true and therefore I should simply believe it. But it’s a lot easier to focus on all of the ways I need to improve. I’m a perfectionist who deals with the glaring reality of my imperfections. So, it’s much easier to hear words of correction whispered to my heart. It’s harder to take that particular truth of Scripture — one I’m quick to assure anyone and everyone else of — and make it my own personal reality.

In order to know this truth deep down in my soul, I first have to listen for it. Listening for affirmation takes a whole lot more time and energy than listening for correction and teaching. For nudges of action. Listening for truth that will change the core of my being, that will adjust how I think about myself, takes effort. It goes against the words I’ve told myself all of my life (and even what others have said to and about me). That I am just one of the many, very ordinary, and no one worth attention. That I fail so easily. That it’s enough that God would let me have salvation at all.

And yes, it is enough. But the problem is that my lack of listening often leads me to perceive salvation as a distant mercy that I just happen to be caught up in rather than an act of personal, intimate love.

Typing it out makes me see how ridiculous it is, and I would always encourage anyone else to walk away from such thoughts! And yet, I still act like this is how God sees me.

It’s not that I see God Himself as distant, because I hear His voice regularly. But I convince myself that His love is distant because I don’t hear His words of love easily. I want Him to make me better. Purer. More righteous. Being obedient is more important than feeling loved, right? If I can be “more” then I will be able to believe that He really does love me and has all along. These are the wrong and unbiblical thoughts I have to confess all the time in order to grow in the intimate knowledge of His love.

Yes, I pray.

But at some point my prayers have to intersect with the truth of a God who loves. Personally. Intimately. Passionately. And my listening has to be slow, deliberate, and intentional enough to hear Him say those words to me. Imperfect me who feels so undelightful.

I need to hear His delight.

I’m a work in progress. But I’m growing. And the more I grow in the knowledge of His love, the more those other prayers I pray will be overwhelming filled with His love. That is where I’m meant to be.