Experiencing God’s Love
“All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, He devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from Him.”
2 Samuel 14:14 (NLT)
God’s love reaching…
This verse is an amazing description of God’s love reaching out to you and me! This verse also elevates the value of human life despite how fragile and fleeting it is. These words were spoken to King David by an unnamed woman from Tekoa who had a reputation for great wisdom. Packed with meaning, her appeal to the King was an effort to restore his relationship with his estranged son, Absalom. Though David was a man after God’s own heart and Israel’s greatest King, he suffered from dysfunctional relationships at home. It was the consequence of his own moral failure. Whether it is in our relationship with God or one another, sin always separates us. That separation can cost us the most important relationships if we let it. Life is short. Is there someone in your family with whom you are estranged? Hurt feelings, misunderstandings, bad choices, harsh words can all lead to separation and rob us from the relationship we deeply long for and were created to enjoy.
“But God does not just sweep life away….” I love that phrase! God understands better than we do the significance of restoring broken relationships and healing the hurts that tore us apart.
“He devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from Him.” Think for a moment. What are the ways God devised that brought you back to Him? He longs for relationship with you and me so much so that He gave His one and only Son to reconcile us back to Him! And as if that were not enough, He engineers circumstances, experiences, and people in our lives in whom He works to get our attention. One of the great ways God uses today to bring us back when we have been separated from Him is the church. The church is the physical, visible expression of an invisible God reaching out to a hurting world separated from Him. It is the hands and feet of Christ. The Bible calls the church, the body of Christ. His love reaches out in a myriad of practical ministries that demonstrate His love. That’s why it’s so important to be a part of a local church. If you are not already a part of a local community of faith, we invite you to Woodlands Church in person or online with our live streaming services each weekend. Through the church, you will sense God’s love reaching out to you.
Our Love Responding…
When we experience God’s love reaching out to us we are left with a response. When our grown children were very young and in their cribs, I used to love to get them up in the morning before going to work. They couldn’t get themselves up or out of their cribs but when they saw my love reaching down to them, they quickly smiled and reached up responding to my love as if to say, “Hold me Daddy, hold me.” That’s the same kind of intimate and personal relationship our Father God has for you and me. His love reaches down from heaven to earth knowing that we can never get to heaven without His mighty arms and nail-scarred hands.
Have you responded to His love reaching out to you? Lift up your hands and let Him hold you. His love will keep you to the end. God’s love is everlasting! Experience His love today!