I AM: Love

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved”
-Ephesians 2:4-5

Evidence of God’s great love for you is woven throughout every single page of His Word.  But often, when we we face trials and hardship and sorrow, we begin to doubt His love.  It’s as though we measure the sincerity and strength of His love by the circumstances we face and conclude that if we are experiencing suffering, it must be because He does not love us.

But could I challenge you for just a moment to re-read the verse above. . .

“because of the great love with which He loved us… [He] made us alive together with Christ”

What if, instead of gauging God’s love by our circumstances, we view our circumstances through the lens of His great love?  What if we paused for a moment to consider the profound demonstration of His love described in these verses?

The greatest love was revealed through the greatest sacrifice.  God —who is Most High — endured all of the pain, suffering and shame of a gruesome death in order to provide redemption for a people who did not even care about Him.  This, dear one, is love.  Even while we were still enemies of God, He died for us.

“But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
-Romans 5:8

He wants you to know His love. But it is not a love that you can measure by how you feel today, or by how well people speak of you, or how talented you are, or whether your dreams for your family are coming true, or whether your child came home with you, or whether you are able to conceive children in the future, or anything else.  Can you believe this?  Will you allow your heart to fully wrap itself around this truth?

His love gave everything, to the point of sacrificing His very own Son.  At the cross, the perfect, eternal love of God was shown so clearly as Christ, His Son, bore all of our sins for us. This is boundless, immeasurable, unfathomable, inexhaustible love.  God’s love for us stretches beyond time itself, from before time even began. It spread ever-forward, never-wavering to the cross, and will continue on forever into eternity.  God’s love is everlasting.

“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.
Jeremiah 31:3

His love for you is everlasting because it originates in Himself.  HE. IS. LOVE. (1 John 4:8)  It is part of His very nature.  There is nothing you can do to make God love you more, and there is nothing you can do to make God love you less.  His love is not based on who you are or anything you’ve done.  You are loved — deeply, truly, completely, perfectly, eternally loved — because God is love.

Some days you may feel as though you are no longer loved by God, because everything in your life seems to be at war with you.  You live in a broken, sinful world.  Your flesh longs to seek after satisfaction anywhere but in God.  You have an enemy whose desire is to tear you down and destroy your hope.  But loved one, nothing — however sorrowful or hard or devastating— can separate you from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39).  His love knows no limits!  It is in this assurance of the never-ending love of God that we find the fortitude and determination we so desperately need to endure the sorrows of this life.

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
-Romans 8:37

Are you living in fear of the future?  Are you terrified that the sorrow you have experienced in the past might repeat itself?  Dear one, rest in His love.  For as you allow His love to sink into every crevice of your soul it will dissipate every ounce of fear within you.

 “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.”
-1 John 4:18

Has your sorrow left you feeling isolated and alone?  Rejoice in His love.  Our Great God has engraved you on the palm of His hand.  His hands bear the sacred marks of His far-reaching love for you.  You are never off of His mind.  You are never separated from His loving provision.  His love for you is greater than even that of a mother for her child.  This, as you well know, is profound indeed.

“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.
-Isaiah 49:14-16

Does it seem as though you may never experience joy again?  That your life will forever be tainted by this brokenness and sorrow?  Abide in His love.  Even on days when you don’t feel it.  Remind your heart and mind continuously of His eternal love for you.  Let it wash over you day after day after day.  For in His love, joy is found.

As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
-John 15:9-11

As you continue to navigate through the heartache of life and loss, know that you are being lifted up in prayer before the One who loves you.  I pray that each of you may know His great love for you in order that you may be filled with the fullness of God.  Dear one, you are loved.

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
-Ephesians 3:14-19

 You can find more posts in this series by following the links below!
I AM: Yahweh
I AM: Holy
I AM: Sovereign

Ashlee is the Editorial Manager for Hope Mommies. Ashlee and her husband, Jesse have three children on earth: Jayden (4), Micah (3), Elian (2), and two children in Heaven: Simeon (May 2014), Odelle (Jan 2015). She loves photography, organization, drinking tea, serving in the youth ministry at their church, and spending time with her family.
You can get to know her more by reading her blog, Beyond Undone.