1. God’s Love is Always Present
When things are dark, challenging, or chaotic, it can be tempting to assume that God has distanced Himself from us.
We can feel as if God now loves us less - or has decided that He no longer loves us at all. So much so, that He's pulled away His love, leaving us to face our situation alone.
Not only is this absolutely not true - it's a lie straight from the devil! God’s unconditional love is always present!
Firstly, He doesn’t just feel love - He actually is love (1 John 4:16). It’s part of His Godly DNA, if you will. Therefore, it can’t not be present.
Secondly, God is holy which means He’s 100% set apart from any sin, wickedness, or other kind of evil. In fact, because He’s holy, God hates evil and sin because of what it does to us. As such, the idea that God is essentially going to be evil or wicked in removing His love from us - especially when we need to feel or experience it the most - is not only illogical but another lie.
Thirdly, Scripture clearly states that God’s love is steadfast (i.e., constant and unchanging):
Lamentations 3:22-23 (MSG) says, “God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over). He’s all I’ve got left.”
Psalm 136: 26 (NLT) says, “Give thanks to the God of heaven. His faithful love endures forever.”
Jeremiah 31: 3 (NLT) says, “Long ago the Lord said to Israel: ‘I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.’”
It doesn’t matter how bleak or dark a situation seems, God’s love is still present and at work.
2. God’s Love is Always More Powerful
When things are dark, challenging, or chaotic, we can find ourselves:
Focusing on the situation more than - or instead of - our Savior.
Acting as if our conditions are more powerful than our God.
When things shift beneath our feet, or crumble around us, or feel oppressive or heavy, we can start to feel things such as fear, anxiety, stress, and anxiousness.
These are powerful emotions which can cause us to laser focus on the situation instead of our God.
We forget that our God - and therefore His love for us - are more powerful than any circumstance or situation, however bleak it may seem.
Job 42:2 (NLT): “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you.”
Jeremiah 32:17 (NLT): “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!”
Romans 8:28 (NLT): “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
Proverbs 16:33 (MSG): “Make your motions and cast your votes, but God has the final say.”
God is the Creator of the universe (i.e., all things) and is sovereign over all things.
3. God’s Love Will Always be at Work
God’s love is NEVER an inactive love. It’s both steadfast in its existence (as we just looked at) as well as its work.
God doesn’t merely say that He loves us (aka He feels the emotion), but then leaves us to our own devices. His love is always actively at work, even if it’s in ways that we can’t see.
This idea that God’s love is only at work when He feels love towards us comes from culture - not the Bible.
In the Bible, God defines love as both an emotion AND an action. There’s equal emphasis placed on both.
In addition, the Bible does not state that the emotion has to be present in order to take action. In fact, in some cases, it explicitly says that we are to act in a loving manner even when the emotion isn’t there.
One of the best examples of this is Luke 6:35 (NLT) which says:
“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.”
Notice that this Scripture doesn’t say, “Wait until you FEEL love for your enemies before ACTING in a way that represents God’s love.” This would likely mean that the acts would never happen, right? Because feeling love for one’s enemies isn’t something that’s going to happen easily or instantly.
God places just as much weight on loving action as He does on the emotion.
This goes against culture’s definition which speaks of love almost purely as an emotion that ebbs and flows, thereby (for example) allowing us to just leave what could still be an amazing, healthy relationship when things get tough.
We say things like, “I’ve fallen out of love.” Not only focusing purely on the emotion but also giving it all the power, as if the emotion controls the person and not the one way around.
It’s because of this worldly definition - that we’ve been surrounded by through books, movies, TV, etc. since birth - that it can be natural to assume that, when bad things happen, it means God has “fallen out of love” with us and decided to distance Himself. Because that’s what culture says is normal and acceptable.
But that’s not God’s love. Not only is it steadfast and all-powerful, it’s always active.
In 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NLT) it says, “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”
Jeremiah 29:11 (MSG) says: “I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.”
And Psalm 121 (NLT) says, “I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.”
In addition to being beautiful words of comfort, did you notice how many action verbs are included in those Scriptures?
Friend, God - and His love - are always actively working for your good. It may be hard to see or comprehend, but God’s promises are never false ones.
So whatever you’re currently walking in or enduring, friend, be comforted in knowing that God and His love for you are right there, by your side, every second of every day!
