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December 13, 2018 |
“‘Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the LORD, who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:10 (NIV)
I wonder what would happen in our lives if we really lived in the absolute assurance of God's love. I mean, as Christians we know He loves us. We sing the songs, we quote the verses, we wear the T-shirts and we sport the bumper stickers. Yes, God loves us.
I’m not talking about knowing He loves us.
I’m talking about living as if we really believe it.
I’m talking about walking confidently in the certainty of God’s love even when our feelings beg us not to.
I’m talking about training our hearts and our minds to process everything through the filter of the absolute assurance of God’s love. Period. Without the possible question mark.
Not too long ago, I had a conversation with a precious mom whose eldest daughter is nearing 30 and has never had a boyfriend. The younger siblings have all gone through the whole dating thing, and one is engaged to be married. The eldest daughter sat on the side of her mom's bed recently with tears slipping down her cheeks and asked, “Why, Mom? Why can't I find anyone to love me? What's wrong with me?”
This mom was asking me for advice in helping her daughter process these questions. These feelings are real. These feelings are tough.
And I’m sure if I were able to untangle all the emotions wrapped in and around these questions, somewhere deep inside I would find this girl doubting God's love for her.
I completely understand. In my own life, I have faced heartbreaking situations where I know God could step in and change everything in an instant. And when He doesn’t? It hurts. Deeply.
But here is what God continues to teach me — I must process disappointments through the filter of His love, not through the tangled places of my heart.
When I process things through the tangled places of my heart, often the outcome is, “If God loves me so much, why would He let this happen?”
Instead, when I process things through the filter of the absolute assurance of God’s love, the outcome is, “God loves me so much; therefore I have to trust why He is allowing this to happen.”
I took the mom’s hand who was asking for advice and told her to help her daughter rewrite the way she is processing this. It's okay to feel hurt, lonely and sad. But these feelings shouldn’t be a trigger to doubt God’s love for her. They should be a trigger to look for God’s protection, provision and possible growth opportunities.
I know this can be hard. But what if we really lived in the absolute assurance of God’s love? Oh sweet sister, in whatever you are facing today, I pray Isaiah 54:10a over you, “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet [God’s] unfailing love for you will not be shaken.”
Dear Lord, You are good. And You are good at being God. Therefore, I trust Your plan and believe that You're allowing this to happen for a reason. It may be hard, but I'd rather be close to You through a thousand difficult moments than apart from You in a thousand good ones. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Isaiah 55:8-9, “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” (NIV)
Psalm 138:8a: “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.” (ESV)
RELATED RESOURCES:
Have you ever found yourself wondering how a good God could allow so much hurt in your life? Shift your suspicion that God is cruel or unfair to the biblical assurance that God is protecting and preparing you with Lysa TerKeurst’s new book, It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way. Order your copy here today.
Find practical, biblical wisdom to help you in the midst of your struggles when you listen to Lysa and women of all different ages and stages of life on our Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast. Download it here today.
CONNECT:
Start your day with encouragement from Lysa TerKeurst and the First 5 writing team with our free First 5 app.
REFLECT AND RESPOND:
Is there a situation in your life where you're questioning if God really loves you?
It can be so tempting to push God away during a painful or confusing time, but try to press into Him instead. You can do that by praying honestly, reading Scripture and putting yourself in the company of other believers who will speak life into you. If you’ve got other suggestions to remind yourself of God’s love, share them in the comments section! We’d love to hear your ideas!
© 2018 by Lysa TerKeurst. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
630 Team Rd., Suite 100
Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org
Originally published Thursday, 13 December 2018.
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