A few weeks ago, a friend said, "You seem to really believe God loves you." He has seen me at moments of faith crisis in the past three years... So, coming from him, this is a pretty weighty statement. During my wife's health struggles, I had at times felt that God did not love me. I felt that he loved my wife and cared nothing for me. It felt that my dreams, desires, etc didn't matter to God... He threw me under the bus to take care of my wife. She was valuable to Him... I was expendable. Or so I felt.
My friend followed up his statement with a question, "How did you come to know and FEEL that God loves you?" I had a bit of a hard time formulating this into a cohesive thought... but it came about through the health trial that my wife and I were battling. Later, it became really clear.
I know that God loves me BECAUSE he sent me into the desert... into a place of trial and testing... so that I would reach the end of my strength, and then turn to him alone who could save me. He has accomplished so much good through this journey. He has purged me of sins. He has transformed my heart. He has made his true loving nature known to me in a way that I could experience. He has shown me that I can truly trust him with everything. He has helped me to see what really matters in life, and to be excited to submit to his will... to journey where he desires to lead.
I know God loves me because he didn't give me what I wanted... he gave me what I needed... to grow... to become more lovely and more like his son. I am a work in progress. God is the potter and I am the clay.
David
Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
Deuteronomy 8:2-3 "Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna... to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."
Zechariah 13:8-9 "In the whole land,"declares the lord, "two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I [God] will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The Lord is our God.'"
My friend followed up his statement with a question, "How did you come to know and FEEL that God loves you?" I had a bit of a hard time formulating this into a cohesive thought... but it came about through the health trial that my wife and I were battling. Later, it became really clear.
I know that God loves me BECAUSE he sent me into the desert... into a place of trial and testing... so that I would reach the end of my strength, and then turn to him alone who could save me. He has accomplished so much good through this journey. He has purged me of sins. He has transformed my heart. He has made his true loving nature known to me in a way that I could experience. He has shown me that I can truly trust him with everything. He has helped me to see what really matters in life, and to be excited to submit to his will... to journey where he desires to lead.
I know God loves me because he didn't give me what I wanted... he gave me what I needed... to grow... to become more lovely and more like his son. I am a work in progress. God is the potter and I am the clay.
David
Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
Deuteronomy 8:2-3 "Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna... to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."
Zechariah 13:8-9 "In the whole land,"declares the lord, "two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I [God] will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The Lord is our God.'"
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