God's Love is Always There

 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 36:7

God's love is always there, it never leaves us. At times though we may wonder "does he even care, because this is not the way life is supposed to be."

Someone we love dies and all we wanted is more time with them. A friend has an illness that the doctors can't figure out. Family members won't speak to you. There isn't enough money to cover this month's bills much less buy food to eat. Where is God's love?

These past two years we wonder where has God gone? Why doesn't He just wipe away this virus? After all I trust in Him, I accepted Him, and I do what He asks of me.

Noah was a righteous man and he had to float on the water for almost a year. David was known as a man after God's own heart. Moses followed God, but He had to stay in the wilderness 40 years and never got to enter the Promise Land. God loved David, even though God loved Him, David spent a good many years running and hiding from a man who wanted to kill him.  Paul was a missionary for God and he spent most of his time in jail.

Life here on earth is hard! I have had to face unplanned surgeries and some days it feels like my body is falling apart. We've struggled to have enough money to pay our bills. My husband and me gripe at each other. We don't live in a rose garden where everything is perfect, but don't rose bushes have thorns?

The good news is every struggle we face, every trial that comes up, every rough patch God's love is always there. The hard days...God's love is there. The unexpected trial...God's love is there. The death of a loved one...God's love is there. In a crisis...God's love is there.

Through it all one thing remains God's great love!

The Bible

 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

God creating the world, Noah building the ark, Moses freeing the Israelites, the Ten Commandments, David and Goliath, Daniel in the Lion's Den,....all of these stories I heard growing up in church. They were stories I heard every year. I also heard about Jesus and how he was born in a stable, grew up and died on the cross, and then rose from the dead.

I would also read these stories in my Children's Story Bible. 

It wasn't until one Easter when our church decided to act out Holy Week. Someone washed my feet and all of a sudden the words of the Bible came to life. Jesus humbled himself and washed His disciples feet. He didn't have to but He did. He showed them how to put others before you. That night I felt the sacrifice this person made to wash my feet.

My first real Bible was given to me at church. It was a Bible geared towards teens, it simply said "The Way". It looked inviting with pictures of teens in the words on the front. I was also given a tiny Bible which just had the Psalms and John. I brought it to Sunday School and we would read it there, but I don't remember reading it at home. The words though were in me.

Whenever I felt scared or unsure, I remembered God could help me. My prayers went from "Now I lay me..." to more personal prayers. At first it was a lot of asking God to help me rather than what do you want me to do, Lord?

Soon I began to hear songs using God's word, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." So when I couldn't handle our money anymore, and we were about to lose our home. I knew the only place to go was to God. He was the one who could take away my guilt and I was willing to deal with the consequences of my bad choices.

This was my turn around. After this my prayer life increased and got deeper. I was asked to coordinate the prayer needs at church. I began reading devotions and the Bible. Did you know there is a lot more to the Bible then the stories I heard growing up?

The Bible is God's living word. It speaks to me when I need it to. It's amazing how I can read a verse one day and then at another time read that same verse and it will speak to me in a completely different way.

Whenever I am having a tough time God's word it there to help me. Of course God is always there for me to talk to, but sometimes He speaks to me through His word. The Bible is that important. Don't be afraid to get it off the shelf, blow off the dust, and open it up a read it. It's time to dive in.