Psalms 59:16(NLT) tells us, “For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress. 17 O my strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.” Where on earth will you ever be able to say this about another human being? You won’t and you can’t. Psalm 59:16 speaks of God’s unfailing love, and there’s nothing like it. Heavenly Father loves us so much, but many of us question God’s love. A broken relationship, the loss of a loved one, or the disappointments we face in life can leave us feeling broken and depleted. It is possible to experience a level of pain that takes us so low it feels like death, and we have no idea how to pull ourselves out of its hurt. Everywhere you turn, there’s emptiness and lack. When you go through this—when you are so severely disappointed and heartbroken by people and situations in life, you might wonder why God would allow you to endure it, or why He didn’t prevent the situation from happening.
Hosea 4:6 tells us that people are destroyed because they don’t know enough about God’s Word to keep themselves out of harm. The knowledge about the Good News of Jesus Christ that we do not have in our arsenals is the very information that will usher in our victory. Our ignorance gives the devil what he needs to wedge a crack in the exterior of our existences and reap havoc. When we don’t know enough about Heavenly Father, and we don’t understand His ways, we often assume that He does things that He does not do, or that He doesn’t do things that He in truth does do. We have assumptions about what love is and how it operates, and often those assumptions are not in line with God’s Word.
The Love of God is perfect. This is truth! There are no ifs, ands, or buts about this one. God’s love cannot fail, but the love that you and I put out there sometimes has a few holes in it. We come to the table with our share of shortcomings, weaknesses, and imperfections. Failed relationships of the past teach us that no matter how much you wanted to please someone, there were areas of the relationship where you fell short. Not for a lack of trying, but merely for the simple reason that we can’t be everything to everybody. From this, we should learn another very valuable lesson, and it is that words alone are not enough to prove or back our love.
Love is the greatest action word there is. Love is a commitment that requires consistency, honesty, communication, and faith. These are qualities on which our relationship with God through Christ must be built before we can successfully execute them in a relationship with anyone else. We need to train ourselves to view love through God’s lens, because when we do, we understand better the commitment to the example of Jesus Christ that He requires. We’ll hold ourselves to a higher, greater standard. And holding ourselves to a greater standard also develops within us the courage and unwavering commitment to only accept a love that equals or exceeds the love we are able and willing to give.
Last week, while walking downtown, I witnessed a man belittling the woman he was with. It was as if she retreated in a corner like a trembling puppy. It broke my heart to see this. What stood out was this man’s demeaning tone and repeated question to her, “Why don’t you ever listen to me?” His tone conveyed an attitude that she was inferior, and incapable of responding as the mature and strong woman she looked to be. She tried answering him calmly, with a docile voice, but it didn’t seem to deescalate his behavior in any way. As a matter of fact, it seemed to anger him even more! I thought to myself, “If only this woman knew how true love behaves.”
Our identity is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians 3:3 tells us that we are hidden with Christ in God. This means that when God looks at us, He sees the love of Christ that covers our whole being. God is so patient and kind to us, and He is waiting for our COMPREHENSION of who we are in Christ to catch up with the REALITY of who He’s made us. The more we get to know God’s perfect and unfailing love through His Word, the more we will know who we are in Christ.
Knowing who we are in Christ allows us to love strong, and not love wrong. We need the love of God in our hearts because only God’s love can hold a relationship together beautifully. Not only this, but God wants us to learn to love Him well, so that we can love ourselves well, and then love others well. This process can take quite a bit of time, and it is not without its bumps and bruises, but we will get better as we are perfected in Christ. As we grow and learn to love God’s way, He will be our refuge. He will be our Protector, the safety net we can run to when things do not turn out as we expect, but we must trust that learning to operate through His perfect love is our mission, and it will not fail us. ■
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
“Perfect Love Will Never Disappoint”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2017. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.