What is the love of God? We hear about in sermons, we learn about it in Sunday school, and we read about it in the Bible. Is it simply God paying the ransom for our sins through Christ's death? I say, no. It's not simple at all. Christ died for us so that we could live, so that we could be free from the slavery of sin. God gave us Christ so we can be reconciled to Him. How can we fathom this? We can't.
Today, I was confronted with the question, 'Do I truly believe and revel in the gracious truth of His love?' The answer, no, I often doubt and question His love for me. When circumstances go array in my life I am quick to doubt His love. When something doesn't go the way I anticipate, I am too eager to assume God has left. But I am immersed with the teaching of God's love, how can I not truly believe and wholly live in His love? Because I am afraid, I am afraid that if I surrender to this truth, I will only be hurt again. Time and again people who supposedly loved me hurt me and left me to fend for myself. How can I be worthy of such love, when my whole life love has turned to pain, neglect and abandonment? Why put myself in the inevitable path of failure? I don't truly accept God's love, because all my life I have been loved by people. Sinful people who themselves can't fathom the love of God. My perspective of God and His love is skewed because we as people are skewed. So, how can I begin to fully receive His love if I only see Him through the filter of failed love? I honestly don't know. I sit here at a loss of words.
But what I do know and what I believe with all my heart is that His love is defined by grace. And without His grace, I am nothing. I can't fathom this and it breaks my heart that I don't fully accept the Love He offers. He loves me more than I can imagine, but I still only see His love through my finite eyes. And even though I speak coherently of His love, tomorrow I will doubt it.
I pray that I will holdfast to truth of His love and revel daily in it. I don't know how to do this but knowing the truth and realizing the significance in my heart is a start.
As unfathomable as it may be the depth of God's love is rich and it alone brings hope. We can live today because God loves us, we can accomplish things for His glory because He loves us, we can love others ONLY because He loves us. And in this love there is hope, in this hope there is a future, in this future there is victory. No matter how much we don't understand, His love is what allows us to understand what we do know. And with even our limited understanding, we can share this amazing love to the world. Ahh...there are no words to adequately describe, this love.
I have no idea if any of this made sense. I know these words barely captured the words of my heart, but it was worth a try. I just pray we all can realize the depth of His love for us and be immersed in its grace.
The Love of God
Frederick M. Lehman, 1917
The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.
When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
-Refrain-
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.
