You Just Gotta Know!

When was the last time you were at a place in your life where you just weren’t sure of anything? Your work? Your ministry? Your calling by God? Your sanity? God’s love? The love of others? Your faith? Oh, yes, we have all been there. In all of our lives, there are times when we are weak, exhausted, under stress, or physically ill and these are times when Satan takes advantage of us and tries to convince us that God’s love cannot be real.

Recently, the Holy Spirit reminded me of verses in Psalm 62 where King David seems to have been in a place not unlike the one I described above. He opens this psalm by saying,

“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” Psalm 62:1-2 (NIV)

In verse 11, David summarizes the entire Psalm in this way,

"God has spoken plainly, and I have heard it many times: Power, O God, belongs to you; unfailing love, O Lord, is yours...” Psalm 62:11-12 (NLT)

Because David was an Israelite, he would have known the Scriptures from the time he was a small child. David had learned that God declared His strength over and over throughout history.  He would have known of the history that the Israelite nation had with God and the mighty miracles He had performed on their behalf. God had shown his strength on behalf of David time and again in battle during his reign as king of Israel. David certainly remembered the first time that God’s strength had come to his aid very publically and Goliath fell with only a single stone thrown from David’s slingshot. David knew, without question, that God was strong from both reading about and experiencing that strength. 

When God spoke that He was strong, David heard that message, but he also heard that the Lord was loving. I believe that David heard this message with his heart. No matter the state of David’s life, God’s love never departed from him. Yes, David sinned greatly. Yes, David experienced doubt. Yes, David’s family was a complete mess. But God’s love for David never changed. 

We are not so different from David. It matters not where we are – physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually — God’s love never changes. His heart is always full of love for us. Christ didn’t die for us IF we would behave. He died for us in spite of our behavior, in spite of our doubt and our sin. It is amazing to realize that Christ called Judas Iscariot to be one of his chosen 12 disciples, knowing that Judas would betray Him. Yet, Jesus never treated Judas differently than any of the other 11 men He called to be disciples. 

Sometimes we get to a place in our life where we must be reminded that God loves us. There are times when we absolutely must know this above all else! It is the only thing that can bring us through what life hands us OR what we get ourselves into. 

David goes on to remind us in Psalm 63:3-5 that God’s love is all that will satisfy us:

“Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.” (NIV)

This is your reminder, beloved, that God’s love never quits, it never gives up on you, it satisfies completely, and it is available to you in an endless supply. He reveals it in His Word, in His creation, through others who love you, and especially in the salvation that is offered only through Jesus. Drink it in, my friend. There is an abundant supply!

Copyright © Leah Adams, used with permission.