How He Loves Us
Hello to all Outlet readers!
As we jump into the topic for today, I want to ask a few questions to get us started. When you think of God, what do you picture? Is it someone that delights in or is disappointed in you? What do you think God feels toward you when you haven’t been praying or reading the Bible as much as you’d like or are stuck in some sin? When you’re doing “the right thing,” do you ever think that God loves you more than when you’re not? Before continuing to read, please take a few moments to pause and think through your responses.Over the past year, I’ve been on a bit of a journey trying to deepen my understanding of God’s love toward us. Personally, it has always been easier for me to acquire knowledge about God rather than develop and rest in my relationship with Him. I’d be willing to bet I’m not in the minority. Acquiring knowledge and studying the Bible is an amazing and crucial aspect of our walk with Jesus; however, we can still miss so much relationally with Him. I asked those questions at the beginning because our broken, sinful hearts tend to project an image of God that is not who He truly is.
An incredibly impactful part of this journey has been through reading a book called Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund. I highly recommend this book to anyone; it is a little dense but completely worth it. The premise of this book is to address our natural tendency to layer thoughts onto God that are not accurate. One of the most profound truths I learned from this book was about a passage in Isaiah I had misinterpreted my entire life. The passage is Isaiah 55:8-9 which reads, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
I have always believed that this passage speaks about God’s providence, ability, and willingness to provide. That his methods and means go far beyond anything I could ever comprehend. That is not what this passage is saying. If you read the entire chapter, you will find God’s mercy, forgiveness, and love are the subject. Humans love to a point; our love has limits simply because we are not limitless. What God is describing about Himself is that His thoughts are not like ours; His ways are not our ways as it pertains to His mercy, forgiveness, and love. He knows no limits, and His love is everlasting. His love for us does not depend on ANYTHING we can bring to the table. There’s so much more I could say, but I’d rather you go get that book, take some time, and spend it with God.
I hope that truth will bring some freedom to you. It’s hard to let it sink into our hearts, but I’ll be praying for you to trust what God says about Himself.
See you, Sunday!
Pastor Tyler