It's Just Like His Great Love

Do you ever feel like you're forgotten, that you could fall off the face of the earth and not one person would notice...or if they did notice, they wouldn't care?  Kind of like an out of sight, out of mind scenario.  If you're honest you'll have to admit that you've felt like this at times.  There are many lonely people in this world, that just crave a smile or a kind word.  They want someone to take notice of them and to make them feel that they have some worth, value, that they matter.  If you happen to live alone, like I do, you might fight these thoughts from time to time.  I read somewhere that "You need a hug a day to keep the blues away"...well, I'll tell you, that doesn't do me much good, as I live alone with a bird...I think I'd be waiting a long time for a hug from my little budgie!  So where can I turn to for comfort?  One day, when I was in the middle of a wonderfully grand pity party, the Lord brought this verse to my mind;

Psalms 40:17a  "But I am poor and needy;  yet the Lord thinketh upon me:"

This is a concept that I have a hard time getting my head around!  The Almighty God, creator of
the heavens and earth, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, thinks about me!  He not only thinks upon me, but Psalms 149:4a says, "For the LORD taketh pleasure in His people:"   The Lord takes pleasure in...us!  Why would the Lord think about, and take pleasure in us?

Jeremiah 31:3  "...Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love:  therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."

1 John 4:10, 19  "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  We love Him, because He first loved us."

Before the foundations of this earth were laid, God knew all about us.  The one thing I've desired for years, is to be loved, to be of value to someone.  I finally realized that what I was desiring from my marriage, I had in the Lord.  He loved me with an everlasting love.  He loved me with a perfect love. He loved me before I even loved Him, when I was still in bondage to sin, He thought on me and loved me.  

Song Of Solomon 2:4  "He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love." 

I started thinking about what the Lords' love means in my life.  What are some of the "benefits" if you will, of His love in my life?

1.   His love avenges me.
 
Psalms 18:47a  "It is God that avengeth me,"

When I was growing up I wanted an older brother.  This desire was so intense that when I was 12, I tried very hard to convince my parents that they should adopt an older brother for me.  The thought of having an older brother to protect and to be there for me, gave me a deep yearning for one.  When I became pregnant with my first child, it never entered into my mind that perhaps it would be a girl, I wanted whatever children I had later to have an older brother.  Thankfully it was a boy (I would have been shocked if it had been a girl!)  My dear son has been an amazing older brother to his sister, her stanch protector from day one.  That feeling of wanting a protector can be satisfied when I remember that the Lord is always with me to avenge any wrongs.  He has promised to always look out for me.

Psalms 27:5  "For in the time of trouble, He shall hide me in His pavilion:  in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me:  He shall set me up upon a rock."

2.  His love provides for me.

Psalms 23:1- 3  "The LORD is my shepherd;  I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:  He leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul:  He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."

A lot of times people fall into the trap of thinking that what they want is something that they need.  Wants and needs are two entirely different things.  Sometimes we do not readily see what we need.  The Lord knows what we need and He has promised He would provide.  There are times that what we need, what is best for us, is not pleasant, but it is needful for our growth and maturity to deepen in the Lord.  I can remember many times in my life, that the things I was called to go through were hard, but I can now see how it strengthened my faith and trust in my Lord.  He has promised times of rest and restoration on this difficult journey through the wilderness of this world.  We need to trust in His all-knowing and all-seeing, loving ways.  He provides us with what we need to meet each trial and to come through it victoriously in Him.

Psalms 23:4 - 6  "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:  for Thou art with me:  Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.  Thou prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:  Thou anointest my head with oil:  my cup runneth over.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:  and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."

3.  His love guides me.

Psalms 32:8  "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go;  I will guide thee with mine eye."

There is nothing worse then trying to get somewhere and you have no idea where you are!  Being lost is a horrible dilemma to be in.  We have things in our lives that are suppose to aid us.  Maps...well they don't do much good if you don't know where you are to begin with!  And don't get me going on that wonderful GPS thingy!  I have heard many stories of how lost you can get when you follow one of them.  A couple of years of go I was traveling with my mom and stepfather.  They were taking me up to Ontario to spend Christmas with my son.  Going through Quebec we ran into a lot of detours because of highway construction, and we got lost.  The GPS kept telling us to "turn right,"  well every time it told us to do this, there was either a field or lake on the right!  However, we never will go wrong when we let the Lord guide us, when we let Him lead us in what we are to say, do or where to go.  We can trust His guidance, it will never fail.

Psalms 48:14  "For this God, is our God for ever and ever:  He will be our guide even unto death."

4.  His love comforts me.

Psalms 119:50  "This is my comfort in my affliction:  for Thy Word hath quickened me."

When the world is pounding on you with persecution; when the storms of affliction and pain are dragging you under; when hopelessness, regret, doubts and fear seem to be constant companions, where do you turn for comfort?  There is nothing in this world that can be the balm to your hurting heart like the love and mercy from the God of comfort.  If you look for comfort in this sinful world, you will only intensify the hurt that you are seeking to eradicate from your life.  There is only one true source of comfort to be found, and that is in the loving arms of our dear Savior.  Turn to the Word of God and you will find help in time of need.

Psalms 119:165  "Great peace have they which love Thy law (Word) and nothing shall offend them."

5.  His love corrects me.

Psalms 94:12  "Blessed is the man whom Thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of Thy law."

No one enjoys being corrected, but we all must admit that correction is needful in our lives.  We sometimes only apply correction to children, but we as adults are just in as much need of it
 ourselves. My daughter was notorious for trying to escape correction.  She found some pretty inventive places to hide from me.  Even after she was corrected she would stay hidden until I
went and literally dragged her out of the closet.  Isn't that just like our reaction to our Heavenly Father when He corrects us?  We try to hide and run from the correction, and then we sit and
pout about it.  All the while, it was for our best.  We correct our children because we love them
and want the best for them.  Why do we think that it's any different when it comes to our Heavenly Father?  He loves us so He corrects us.

Psalms 86:5  "For Thou, Lord, art good and ready to forgive;  and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee."

The love of God has provided everything that we need.  Psalms 68:19 says, "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation."  The love of the Lord provides us with all that we will ever need! Never take the love of God for granted.  It is this great love that made us children of God in the first place!  John 3:16  "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  Thank you Father for loving me.

A friend I have called Jesus, Whose love is strong and true,

And never fails howe'er 'tis tried, no matter what I do;

I've sinned against this love of His, but when I knelt to pray,

Confessing all my guilt to Him, the sin-clouds rolled away.

 

Sometimes when clouds of trouble blot out the sky above,

I cannot see my Savior's face, I doubt His wondrous love;

But He, from heaven's mercy seat, beholding my despair,

In love removes the clouds between, and shows me He is there.

 

O I could sing forever of Jesus' love divine,

Of all His care and tenderness for this poor life of mine;

His love is in and over all, and wind and waves obey

When Jesus whispers, "Peace, be still," and rolls the clouds away.

 

It's just like Jesus to roll the clouds away,

It's just like Jesus to keep me day by day.

It's just like Jesus all along the way,

It's just like His great love.

 

                                           Edna H. Worrell