He is love

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,

That we should be called

children of God.”

I John 3:1

For many years I knew in my head that God loved me, but I couldn’t feel it in my heart.  I imagined God as being emotionally distant. I believed the Bible said He loved me, it’s just that I couldn’t feel it – I just figured God was under contractual agreement to love me but that He didn’t particularly like me. As I have travelled and taught on God’s love I have learned that I am not alone. Men and women alike have difficulty experiencing God’s love. As I have grown in my faith and learned the power of praise, I have experienced God’s love more deeply than ever before. What I have discovered in my praise journey is that only His love is completely satisfying. He is the only source of perfect and unfailing love. The more I have praised Him for His love, the more deeply I have experienced His love!  That is what He wants for me. I love the Living Bible’s version of Ephesians 3:17-19

“May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love; and my you be able to feel and understand as all God’s children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high his love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves, though it is so great that you will never see the end of it or fully know or understand it. And so at last you will be filled up with God Himself.”

All of us have wounds of one sort or another that have left holes in our hearts.   God’s love can fill up those holes and heal those wounds in ways you can only imagine.  I have found the key to healing those wounds is in praising God by faith for His love, even when I have not felt His love. The more I have chosen to praise God for His love, the more the Holy Spirit has awakened my heart to not just know, but feel God’s love.

Praise Challenge

Today in your praise time focus on the love of God.  

• His love is lavish (extravagant) (I John 3:1)
• He take great delight in you (Zephaniah 3:17)
• He is compassionate, gracious and abounds in love (Psalm 86:15)
• His love is so trustworthy that we can rely on it (I John 4:16)
• Nothing can separate you from His love (Romans 8:38-39)
• His love heals our mother wounds and our father wounds. (Isaiah 49:15-16, Psalm 27:10)

Listen to praise music that specifically praises God for His love. As you move throughout your day, every time you eat (even just a snack) – Praise God for His deep satisfying love.