Do I Love You?

by Anita G. Hamill, (Eureka)

 

We were all enjoying a fun Potluck after church, when I asked our four-year-old Grandson this very question. His instant response flew right back to me on the wings of a smile and a giggle, “Yes, you do love me!”. I had never asked him a question like that before and was surprised at his joyful and confident reply.

Oh, that we could have such childlike confidence in our Father’s love for us, especially during difficult trials. If God should ask us that question when we are struggling to overcome an ongoing problem or enduring pain or sickness, what would our response be? Can we honestly encourage God with these enthusiastic words?  “Yes, I do know that You love me.” How that would make Him smile.

When I first came into God’s church, He introduced me to an amazing woman in the Phoenix area. Evelyn was totally bedridden and in great pain from Multiple Sclerosis.  Despite her suffering, she opened her little home for brethren to gather every Friday evening to fellowship and sing hymns together. Any time someone needed prayer or advice, it was always Evelyn they would call, and those prayers got answered! Evelyn’s loving and unselfish dedication to God, in spite of her suffering, inspired a whole congregation. 

No matter what God allows in our lives, we can be sure of one thing, He has our   best interest at heart. Our own suffering teaches us to have more compassion on others with more serious problems.  Since God is perfect, so is His enduring love for us as stated in I John 4:8-10, “…this is how God showed His love among us; He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him…” (NIV).

I have begun a personal quest to search out profound verses which can reach to the depth of my being with the absolute truth of our Father’s love for me. These are like personal love letters, which can be read over and over again, whenever I need to be reminded that I am being absolutely cared for and loved.

The Bible is filled with treasures like this one in Psalms 36:5-7, “Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies.  Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains…how priceless is Your unfailing love…” 

In Jeremiah 31:3 we are reminded of the amazing love of our Father for His children, “…I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.”  And again, in Psalms 143:8, “Cause me to hear thy loving kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust…”

I would like to share a few words from my song entitled “His Awesome Love” :

                                              We easily feel the love of God when the sun is shining bright,

Where the air is sweetly scented and His flowers bring delight.

When birds are singing joyfully amid the swaying trees

And the day is filled with lofty songs that ride the summer breeze.

 

Yet, when the darkened clouds of pain are looming in the sky,

Or bolts of disappointment have met our earthen cry ~

Then faith must be our lantern to help us find the way,

For God’s enduring love is there to shelter us each day!

Let us make it our goal to grow in faith and confidence of our great Father’s love for us, no matter what we see around us or feel in our fragile frame. There is no deeper love than that of our Father God to His children. Let these words ring in our ears as we move on toward the Kingdom of God, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).