Jeremiah 1:5 - "I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as My prophet to the nations."
God really has set us apart to be His disciples and show His love to everyone. He did this long before we were ever born. All out of love.
So what's the catch? It can be very hard to accept God's unconditional love for us. Or anything unconditionally for that matter. Our finite human minds aren't built to fully understand God's plan for us. Which is why He reveals them to us little by little. It's also very hard to accept things without something attached.
In his book Pursued, Jud Wilhite tells us that God's love is so different than how we love each other. He says, "We love each other if, because, and when" (Chapter 5). And when someone doesn't meet our standards...adios (paraphrasing). Wilhite also says that God's love is in another category by itself and that He loves us in spite of any standards and shortcomings. How amazing is that?! There really is no catch.
The key is to keep our hearts focused on Him. God can't work in our lives if we don't let Him. I believe that one of the hardest times to stay focused on God and His plan is when we are mourning the loss of a loved one. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4). It's hard to see God's blessings when a loved one passes away suddenly, particularly if they are still relatively young.
But the blessing is when we resist the temptation of the enemy to walk away from God and give up on Him. The enemy will take the opportunity to whisper in your ear that God doesn't really care about you or you wouldn't be going through this. Nothing could be further from the truth. Job was a great example of this. His own wife was telling him to just give up on God and call it a day (Job 2:9). But Job refused. When Job responded the way he was supposed to, we are told that God blessed him even more than He had in the beginning of his life (Job 42:12).
Just because it's hard to see God's plan for good in a situation where we lose someone like that, does not mean that it doesn't exist. If we maintain our focus on God during that time, we allow Him to work within us and reveal His plan to us, and bless us even more than He already has. And He has promised there are no strings attached...
Dear Father, thank You for Your Word and Your love. Thank You for reminding us just how much You love us, and have always had us on Your mind through all of eternity. I pray that I can maintain my focus on that unconditional love You have for me at all times. Although I know I will fall short, I pray that I remember that You will still love me unconditionally in spite of my shortcomings. I pray for those that just can't see this love You have for them. Maybe they are in a period of mourning for a lost loved one, and simply can't see the good of Your plan in their situation. My prayer is that You will continue to be with them and give them the rest, comfort, and peace to know that You are indeed there, and You will always be there when they open their hearts to You and put their focus on You and Your love. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
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