It is important that we understand that the fundamental heart of God towards us is love. “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. ” (1 John 4:16, NIV84) Love is the reason that God created us. God’s purpose for us from the moment He made us was to bless and for us to prosper. We alone are created by God in the image of God. “So God created man in his own image, […] God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule […]” And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. ” (Genesis 1:27–31, NIV84) Love is also the reason God redeemed us. “”For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ” (John 3:16–17, NIV84)
Our understanding and grasp of the Love of God towards us is tested when we go through difficult times. We wonder why we are struggling. We question the love of God when we are suffering pain and loss. We seek to find God when we are faced with fear and anxiety. It is these very questions that reveal that our understanding and our faith in God and His Love towards us is not yet complete.
In the season of the trial and the test, we find joy when we know we are loved by God and can overcome every challenge. “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. ” (1 John 4:16–17, NIV84) The word judgment here does not signify God’s wrath. Rather, it speaks of the season of counting and separating. In the season of the test, we must rely on God’s love to give us the confidence we need to get through and overcome the test.
Recently, I suddenly became very ill from a spider bite. In the season of illness, the demons tried to place images of death, destruction and fear in my mind. There were times when I found it difficult to remain focused on the goodness of God. Those moments revealed places in my life where faith and trust needed to grow.
When I have confidence in God’s love for me, I know that He loves me regardless of the circumstance. I am loved in the season of trial and testing just as much as I am loved in the season of prosperity and overcoming. When I know that God loves me, I find that I have the strength to overcome my current challenge. The challenge may have come from the enemy, but the Love of God gives me the grace and the strength to overcome.
In the time of testing, we must rely of the love of God. God loves us. God’s plans for us are good. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV84)
Embrace the love of God even as you are in the time of difficulty. Worship God in the time of challenge because His love for you never changes. When you respond to the love of God and not to the pain of the test, you will become empowered to overcome the test. Love never fails.
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