What Does the Love of God Look Like?

‘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.