“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? …neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35 & 39, NIV
Do you ever experience times when you feel utterly unloved? I still remember feeling that during a difficult season in my life. Relational challenges lured me into a deep despair that left me unsettled, unwanted, and feeling completely unloved. Despite loving support from family and friends, and even intellectually knowing that God loved me, I frequently equated my weary and wounded emotional state with how God loved me.
Does God love us despite our flaws and failings? Absolutely! In today’s broken world, many fragile relationships falter and fail, but God’s love is trustworthy and true. Throughout Scripture, psalms and poetry unveil the promises and characteristics of divine affection and courtship. As Jesus’ future bride and first love, God uses life’s adversity to test, refine, and mature our eternal relationship and to deepen intimacy. Amidst difficult relational circumstances, we may mistakenly conclude that we are unloved.
Do you realize that despite your human inadequacies and idiosyncrasies, God loves you?
In his book Trusting God, Jerry Bridges assures us that “Our doubts do not destroy God's love, nor does our faith create it. It originates in the very nature of God, who is love, and it flows to us through our union with His beloved Son.”
Love is the essence of God’s character and He never contradicts His own character. His love never waivers – despite personal perception or feeling – He loves us with an everlasting, unfailing love that always assures us that we have never been unloved.
Thank You for loving me with a love that never waivers. Forgive me for doubting Your love for me. Amidst life’s tests and trials, help me to trust in and experience Your unfailing love.
Take Action
Within your sphere of influence, ask a couple of people what God’s love means to them. Pray for those who are experiencing relational difficulties. Encourage them by ensuring them that God loves them despite their circumstances.
Has your love for God grown cold? Read Falling Out of Love with God.