‘What does the Love of God Look Like?’
Psalm 37:23-24
by
Jeff Woolum, Pastor
First Baptist Church, Perrysburg, OH
When someone asks
about the love of God, they will typically receive an explanation like, “it is
seen in the person and work of Jesus.” While this is certainly true, someone
who is unfamiliar with the New Testament truth about Jesus may see this answer
as yet another theological explanation. The reality is that Jesus is God’s
perfect revelation of His love for us, but many lack the personal experience
that reveals God’s love in this way. I have had a great deal of theological
education and have read numerous books, papers, and articles about the love of
God. Yet with all the teaching, training, and experience I have had, it was
being a ‘father’ that has taught me the most about God’s love and what it looks
like.
I look for the
simple ways the Bible uses to show us what God’s love looks like. Psalm
37:23-24 paints one of these pictures:
“the steps of a man
are established by the LORD; and He delights in his way. When he falls, he
shall not be hurled headlong; because the LORD is the One who holds his hand.”
(NASB)
This passage
paints a picture that those of us who have had children or even been around
children as an adult can identify with. Remember when a child first begins to
walk and you as a parent are holding the child’s hand. Often in learning how to
walk the child’s feet get turned wrong and all of a sudden the child has no
footing. The child would fall except for the fact that you, the parent, are
holding his hand. Because you are holding his hand, the child is saved from
falling on his face.
I think this
really begins to show us how God wants to love and relate to us. It is no
accident that God asked people to know Him as ‘Father.’ He is the ultimate
example of a father’s love for his children. As ‘fathers,’ we unconditionally
love our children. We want to protect them! We want to provide for all their
needs and most of their wants! We give them advice and guidance so they will
not fail or get hurt! We deeply desire to spend time with them! We rejoice in
their successes! We mourn their losses and failures! We hurt when they rebel!
We are sad when they do not spend time with us!
All of this is a
picture of the kind of relationship and love that God wants to show us, yet it
only scratches the surface of just how much God loves us and wants a
relationship with us. Just think of all the parenting joys and heartaches you
have experienced. That is what God experiences, magnified in His own way with a
much deeper love for us. When you are next wondering about whether God still
loves you or not, or find yourself in a situation where you need to be loved a
little more, remember your parenting days and your relationship with your
children. No matter what your children do, you never reject them. No matter how
long they are gone, you are always glad to see them and receive them. You are
always ready to love them. God wants to love us the same way.
