David was in the wilderness when he penned Psalm 63<\/strong><\/span> and he compared his longing soul to dry, cracked soil. He desperately needed God\u2019s presence, His Rivers of Living Water. (John 7:37-39)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I can relate to David\u2019s desperate longings for God, but what catches my attention is the phrase \u201clovingkindness.\u201d David says it\u2019s better than life itself.<\/p>\n Lovingkindness. What does it really mean? I\u2019ve heard people say that if you compare love to a piece of freshly baked bread, slathered with butter. Lovingkindness<\/em> is like adding strawberry preserves to what\u2019s already succulently delicious.<\/p>\n The Hebrew word used here means goodness, faithfulness, and kindness.<\/p>\n Jesus tells us God\u2019s love for us is as great as the Father\u2019s love for Him. (John 15:9)<\/strong><\/span> Paul uses words about God\u2019s love for us, which conger images of an ocean of love, beyond our understanding. (Ephesians 3:16-21)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n When life is good, I can recognize God\u2019s lovingkindness. However, in hard times, I don\u2019t always feel loved, mostly because I don\u2019t feel lovable.<\/p>\n Two situations come to mind.<\/p>\n I hate failing. I\u2019ve had failures as a husband, as a father, as a son, as a brother, as an employee and an employer, as a friend, etc. Failure can cause me to feel unlovable. How can I be loved, given my many failures?<\/p>\n As I write, the Holy Spirit reminds me:<\/p>\n I am united with Christ in his death and resurrection. Christ raised me and seated me with him in heavenly places. (Ephesians 2:6)<\/span><\/strong> Despite my failures, I\u2019m perfectly loved by God hidden with Christ in Him (Colossians 3:3-4)<\/span><\/strong> Even though, in this temporal realm, I\u2019m far from perfect, God loves me as much as He loves Jesus (John 15:9)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach. (Colossians 1:21-22)<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n In Christ, I\u2019m holy, blameless and beyond reproach. When I see this, and believe it by faith, I feel God\u2019s lovingkindness, even in my failures. There are truths about me in Christ which can\u2019t change. They’re eternal, beyond the reach of the temporal.<\/p>\n I struggle to embrace God\u2019s lovingkindness when others hurt me. Being hurt can cause deep emotional pain, making me feel rejected and unlovable, even by God.<\/p>\n When I invite God into my pain, I do sense His presence and comfort.\u00a0I\u2019m learning not to rely on the love of others for my value.<\/p>\n What helps is to realize the surpassing greatness of God\u2019s love compared to even our dearest earthly relationships. All human relationships must be secondary to our relationship with God. In fact, in Luke 14:26<\/strong> Jesus says, \u201cIf anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Compared to God\u2019s great love, human love is like hate. God\u2019s lovingkindness far exceeds all human affection. When I get a grasp of the expanse of His surpassing love for me, I\u2019m filled with joy, even when people are unusually cruel.<\/p>\n More and more I seek love only from Him. This frees me up to love others for their sake, not for what I might get out of the relationship.<\/p>\n God\u2019s love overshadows everything about us. When life is hardest, His lovingkindness shines even brighter. As a diamond sparkles against a dark background, God\u2019s love is more brilliant in our darkest days.<\/p>\n Is there a situation you\u2019re in right now which is threatening to overshadow your awareness of God\u2019s love for you? It could be a pattern of failure, hurt from people you love, or some other situation.<\/p>\n By faith, count as true the words of the Apostle Paul, from Ephesians 3:14-19<\/strong><\/span>, concerning God\u2019s surpassing love for us: For this reason I\u00a0bow my knees before the Father,\u00a015\u00a0from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,\u00a016\u00a0that He would grant you, according to\u00a0the riches of His glory, to be\u00a0strengthened with power through His Spirit in\u00a0the inner man,\u00a017\u00a0so that\u00a0Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;\u00a0and\u00a0that you, being\u00a0rooted and\u00a0grounded in love,\u00a018\u00a0may be able to comprehend with all the\u00a0saints what is\u00a0the breadth and length and height and depth,\u00a019\u00a0and to know\u00a0the love of Christ which\u00a0surpasses knowledge, that you may be\u00a0filled up to all the\u00a0fullness of God.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Soak in His love for you and receive it, even if it does surpass knowledge.<\/p>\n Lord, I rest in Your love right now. I desire to walk in Your love throughout the day. Even when I go through hard times, your love shines brighter and brighter. You are faithful. You are good. You are kind.<\/em><\/p>\n You love me.<\/em><\/p>\n Your lovingkindness is everlasting. (Psalm 136)<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Your lovingkindness is better than life.<\/p>\n Please keep me aware of You and Your love every moment of my life.<\/em><\/p>\n Amen<\/em><\/p>\n Other posts in our series<\/span> In the Moments<\/strong>:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n As Sea Gulls Fly<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n It is Finished<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Behold the Moments<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Tranquility<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Stop Striving<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Simplicity In Christ<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n What is Good<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Yet Will I Rejoice<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Sorrowful, Yet Always Rejoicing<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Exploring Grace and Joy together<\/a><\/p>\n Stay Present My Friends<\/a><\/p>\n Quiddity. It Could Change Your Life<\/a><\/p>\n The Cake Maker’s Blunder<\/a><\/p>\n God at Work (No Trespassing)<\/a><\/p>\n Hidden with Christ in God<\/a><\/p>\n Finding Joy in Love and Relationships<\/a><\/p>\n Escaping the Rat Race<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God\u2019s nearness in the midst of life\u2019s adventures.<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Subscribe to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em> <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Nonfiction books by the Author:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Because joy is rooted in God and is eternal, it doesn\u2019t ebb and flow with the waves of circumstances. In fact, as we grow in our understanding of joy, we can even experience it more acutely when life is hard. Why? Because God uses trials to conform us into the image of Christ. With this awareness, which gives us glimpses of God\u2019s greater purposes, we rejoice because of His masterful work to free us from needing anything but Him.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n For these reasons, and many others, joy in the Lord is commanded in scripture. It\u2019s not just a good idea, it\u2019s vital to our journey as human beings.\u00a0Rhythms of Joy<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Novels by the Author:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for?\u00a0\u00a0Beyond Time<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n By finding two undelivered letters in an old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family Hope Remains<\/a><\/p>\n\n
When I Fail<\/span><\/h3>\n
When I\u2019m Hurt<\/span><\/h3>\n
Better Than Life<\/span><\/h3>\n
Challenge<\/span><\/h3>\n
Prayer<\/span><\/h3>\n
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