What do God’s love and a leaky faucet have in common? We hear the drip, drip, drip – but we tune it out. Like that continual drip, most of us have heard Jesus loves us since childhood. We’ve become too familiar with the greatest love story ever told. We read it in His Word, also known as His love letter to us. John 3:16, the most familiar verse of all time, says:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Despite all this, I didn’t comprehend God’s love. None of us can fathom every facet of His love, but like many women, I didn’t live loved. We don’t realize His love is not only a thing we discuss on Sunday, but it's a treasure constantly shielding us.
Let's dive into 5 key ways God's love protects us:
Photo Credit: Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Krummel
1. His love protects us through His presence.
Have you ever felt like God has abandoned you? Do you recall what transpired during that season of your life? I struggled with depression many years, and during those dark storms, I traveled through seasons when I couldn’t sense the presence of God. I cried out in prayer, “Where are You, God?”
Then, I remembered one of my favorite promises in the Bible:
"…God has said, 'Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.'" (Hebrews 13:5b)
Even though I couldn’t feel His presence, I knew the truth. God had not forsaken me. This kept my head above water until I came out of the storm.
God is omnipresent, meaning He is everywhere at all times, but as His children, we have a special fellowship with Him.
We don’t have to face frightening situations alone either. His special presence even follows us into danger.
During a vacation to the Smoky Mountains of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, I took my guide dog out to potty. I couldn’t see the black bear near the edge of the woods. I had no idea of the danger at hand. Then a hotel guest warned me about the bear. I screamed and jumped, provoking the bear to release a fierce growl. A shiver ran up my spine, but we weren’t alone. God kept that bear far from us. I’d rather not face a wild bear at all, but God stayed between us and the bear.
Whatever you face, God faces it with you. He never leaves us, even when our feelings lie and tell us He has.
2. God's peace protects us.
We have a pandemic of panic. If you watch the news, you hear the shocking headlines about supply chain shortages, inflation rising, and all things Covid. Even if we refuse to dwell on it or watch TV, it hits us in the face each time we visit a grocery store or fill up with gas.
We live with the stress of diseases and disabilities. We feel tension on the job. We care for aging parents and raise our grandchildren as our own.
Jesus wanted to comfort His disciples, hours before His arrest and trial, with John 16:33:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Jesus wants us to take heart when we have trouble. James Strong’s concordance translates this phrase as an imperative to be bold or courageous (Strong's Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 2009).
Don’t let the world steal our peace because our peace comes from Jesus. He lavishes His divine personal tranquility upon us because He loves us. We don’t have to live in chaos. He has overcome the world and given us a peace we cannot understand. Philippians 4:6-7 says:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
His peace surrounds our hearts and minds, the seat of our emotions. Give your worries, stress, and angsts to Christ, and let His peace protect your tender soul.
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3. His love protects our identity.
As my husband drove me to a speaking engagement, I smoothed out my blouse for the third time. “I hope the pastor likes my message.”
Now, you have to know my husband to understand he meant no harm with his response. But, boy, it woke me up. “Does God like your message?” he asked.
His question was straight to the point.
“Yes, He gave it to me.”
“Then it doesn’t matter what the pastor thinks.”
That’s my husband, a diamond in the rough. I hadn’t recognized my unhealthy need to people-please. Why did the pastor’s opinion matter so much? That’s obvious; speakers want to please those who have entrusted their congregation to them. I desired acceptance from others in ministry, but wasn’t God’s love and acceptance enough? Isn’t God’s approval more important than that of anyone else?
After that monumental lesson, I began to grasp the riches of God’s love. We’ll never understand the fullness of His love in this lifetime, but Ephesians 2:10 helped me:
"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
That word handiwork means "beautiful poem" in Greek. If you struggle with self-worth, say this out loud: I am God’s handiwork.
Perhaps you struggle with your identity in Christ. Someone has made you feel worthless, but not God. He showers His love on you. When we begin to comprehend His love and tender care for us, we will be God-pleasers and not people-pleasers.
4. We have protection from God’s wrath.
Do the last two years resemble the prequel to the Tribulation in the book of Revelation? During that time, people will kill one another (Rev. 6:4). The third seal will bring scarcity and high prices (Rev. 6:6), and great earthquakes will occur and the stars will fall from heaven (Rev. 6:12-13). Does that sound somewhat familiar?
As horrible as things might be right now, we can cling tight to God’s promise in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NIV):
"For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."
We don’t know how bad things will get before Jesus returns to take His saints home in the rapture. Most theologians believe the rapture occurs before the Seven-Year Tribulation begins. We have no reason to fear the wrath of God, though, because God promised we will never have to face it. In 1 John 4:18, we find encouragement as John wrote:
"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."
The worst thing a human will have to endure is the wrath and judgment of God. Yet, as believers in Jesus Christ, we don’t have to fear God’s judgment. His perfect love for us casts out all fear. His grace has exchanged our fear for faith, bleakness for His beauty. When current events discourage you, remember, we win in the end, and heaven awaits us.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Dusan Smetana
5. God protects us from our emotional triggers.
If you struggle with depression or anxiety like I do, you have probably recognized your triggers. I’ve discovered I need to avoid people who allow the world to exasperate their gloomy disposition, breathe negativity, and constantly gripe. Their toxic emotions are contagious. What do we do when avoiding them isn’t possible? We recognize toxic thoughts, remove them from our minds, and replace them with God’s truth. Paul said it best in Colossians 3:2 when he wrote:
"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."
Do you have that person who gets under your skin with snarky remarks? Let it go and bask in your Father’s love. I love Ephesians chapter one where we find a list describing us. Words like: beloved, accepted, forgiven, adopted heir, and chosen. When I hear derogatory remarks, I recall God’s love. Now it comes naturally, and I am no longer a victim to rude, sarcastic comments people direct my way.
In this manner, God’s love protects our mental health and well-being.
In John chapter eight, the religious leaders brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus. Trying to trick Jesus, they asked Him to agree with the law of Moses and stone her. Then Jesus began writing on the ground with His finger, and one by one, her accusers left. When Jesus stood, He spoke with loving eyes as He said, “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11b). Jesus refused to condemn her.
My prayer is that you will seek to know the love of God. When we do, we will appreciate it more, and we can walk through this world living loved by our Father and sheltered by His protective hand.
Originally published Wednesday, 02 February 2022.
