Does God really love me?
We are often told that “God loves you” and “God is love”. But is that really true? Where is His “love” when we meet hard times? How can I be sure that God really loves me?
When life becomes difficult, you might sit there crying and thinking to yourself, “Where is God now?” Maybe you’ve just lost your job or you’ve just lost a friend. Maybe you had a really rough day or you’ve had a lot of bad luck. People have hurt you or you are just so unhappy with who you are as a person that you think you are not worthy of God’s love. There are so many “reasons” that can cause you to wonder if God loves you or if He is even looking after you at all.
God knows you better than you know yourself
When these kinds of thoughts come up, the best thing to do is to go to the Word of God. There is so much written there that proves that God loves you. For example, King David wrote in Psalm 139:1-4 (GNT):
“Lord, you have examined me and you know me. You know everything I do; from far away you understand all my thoughts. You see me, whether I am working or resting; you know all my actions. Even before I speak, you already know what I will say.”
This is the God that you have. One who knows you better than you know yourself. He knows about every situation in your life. He is also a God who has never forgotten about anyone. He holds each of us in His hand (Isaiah 49:15-16).
In Psalm 139:13-14 (CEV) it’s written: “You are the one who put me together inside my mother's body, and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt.”
And Psalm 139:17 (NLT) says: “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!”
Jesus tells us that not even a sparrow falls to the ground apart from the Father’s will (Matthew 10:29-31). How much more do you think He looks after the people whom He has made to be like Himself, and carefully follows along (Genesis 1:27)?
I will not leave you or forget you
When we come into those difficult times in our lives, it is not because God has stopped taking care of us. It is not because He has forgotten about us. God has planned the life of each of us carefully, down to the last detail. His purpose is to save us from sin. He wants us to fully depend on Him, and not on what we can do ourselves. When we come into these hard times, He is there. He does not leave us on our own.
God sent His beloved Son into the world so that we could have a High Priest who understands our weaknesses. Because of this great gift of love that God has given us, we can go at any time to God’s throne of grace to get help (Hebrews 4:16).
Go to that throne of grace during those hard times. You will find that the Father and the Son are right there waiting for you to ask Them for help. You will discover that your Lord is with you just as He was with Joshua all those years ago. God promised him in Joshua 1:5-6 (NCV), “Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forget you. Joshua, be strong and brave!”
This doesn’t mean that the hard times will just stop. It means that you will find the power, the courage, the grace to get through these times. God is with you, and Jesus understands you. He is always praying for you (Hebrews 7:25). You will come through your trials like precious gold that has been tested by fire, and the end result is the salvation of your soul (1 Peter 1:9).
He has planned every moment of our life in such a way that we can be saved from the sin that still lives in us. That is the salvation of our soul. The apostle Paul also writes that God will never make things too difficult for us to bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). That’s how much He loves us.
God understands our weaknesses
God knows us, and He understands our weaknesses. He is not a hard, unfair God. He is righteous, and He understands us and cares for us. He is our biggest helper. There is no one that wants it to succeed for us more than He does. Believe that. Believe in the encouraging words He spoke through the prophet Jeremiah:
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you, And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13.
Take courage! He is with you every moment of every day and loves you more than you can ever understand (Romans 8:38-39)!