One of the things I have been asking God about lately is a deeper revelation of His love.

My picture of God is that He is the embodiment of love.

That He loves each of us passionately.

That everyday He lavishes us in His love.

And my hope is to get better at seeing.

This is what I have discovered so far.

He is opening my eyes to how much His love is spoken about in His Word. How many times do I read, blind to the heart beneath the text of a God Who is overflowing with such love for His people?

We see this in the account of our creation, intended for loving intimacy with Him, in His enduring provision and protection of His people, in the ministry of His Son, who came for the broken, the lost and the hurting, and never turns any away. And ultimately we see His love in the Cross, that unimaginably painful death, so that loving intimacy with us could be restored, for all eternity.

But what really made me smile is that God made this personal when He prompted me during a time that I was praying, to read psalm 136. It’s not a psalm that I was familiar with, and when I read it, I saw it as an amazing answer to prayer. It’s an account of how awesome God is in His creation and His enduring faithfulness in the lives of His people. The thing that really struck me though, is that every single second line is a declaration of His love. That His love for us endures forever. As if we are part of a great love story with God, and that all He does, and all He has ever done, ultimately flows from a heart with such passionate love for us.

Another way that God is helping me to see more of His love came at church yesterday. It was just one line during the talk. Our vicar mentioned the sunrise. How if we had been awake earlier that morning we would have seen how spectacular it was. We would have enjoyed its colour, its intensity, its beauty, and how that enjoyment, that awe, that pleasure is a gift of God’s love.

What a beautiful thought. That in the same way we may show love with a gift, God does the same. The colour of a sunrise, the sound of waves on sand, the peacefulness of time alone with Him, all gifts from Him, all expressions of His love.

And so I’m keeping my eyes and heart open for more of the ways He shows His love. Lavishes us with love. I’d love to hear the ways that you experience His love too. Only please excuse me if I am not able to reply personally in the replies as much, with more limited time this year.

One last thing. I actually was awake for this sunrise that our minister spoke about. It truly was breathtaking. As if the sky was on fire. The photo below is of this dawn through our stained glass window. If you keep in the mind that the glass here is usually opaque, and the tear part is usually pale gold, hopefully you will get a sense then of how intensely red and stunning the sky was.

~ by Birgit on January 12, 2009.

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Church, Devotional, Drawing Close to Jesus, Faith, God, Jesus, Photos and Slideshows, Religion