If You Surrender, Will God Provide?

You might fear, if I surrender completely to him, will God provide for all my needs?

In the previous posts we have seen in Genesis 22 that God tested Abraham by commanding him to journey to a distant mountain and there sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham obeyed God, to the point that he was moments away from slaying his son. At that moment God intervened and directed Abraham to a ram to sacrifice in Isaac’s place. The remainder of the story focuses on God’s nature as our provider.

The divine test to see whether we will surrender everything in our lives to God shows the pivotal role faith plays in that decision, particularly faith to believe in God’s provision.

During this trial, Abraham declared his faith in two ways, and in both cases his faith was answered.

We will return

First, when he and Isaac and the two servants arrived at the mountain for sacrifice and he prepared to depart from the two servants to ascend the mountain with Isaac, he told them, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you” (v. 5). Abraham’s words show that he expected Isaac to return with him after the sacrifice.

The New International Version makes it explicit: “We will worship and then we will come back to you” (italics added). “We” will come back to you. As he believed, so he received.

God will provide

Second, as he and Isaac climbed the mountain and Isaac asked about the lamb for the sacrifice, Abraham declared, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son,” (v. 8). As he believed, so he received. Somehow, sooner or later, in one way or another, faith receives answers.

This event was so important for Abraham and his descendants it inspired two lasting reminders: a name and a proverb.

A name

“Abraham called the name of that place, ‘The LORD will provide’; as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided’” (v. 14). What impressed Abraham most in this experience was, “The Lord will provide,” so it became Abraham’s name for that mountain in Moriah. He now knew this truth in every fiber of his soul. As surely as he knew his own name, he knew “The LORD will provide.” The Lord will provide a Lamb. Eventually this truth found ultimate fulfillment in the Lord’s provision of a Savior who supplied our greatest need: the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

We need to believe “The LORD will provide” in every dimension of life, from food and housing to health and salvation. If we doubt that, we will suffer from fear and worry. We will ultimately trust ourselves, our works, other people, money, technology, techniques, government, employers, or knowledge more than we trust what Scripture reaffirms: “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).

A proverb

The proverb based on this event adds something important to the name. The saying “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided” tells where God provides. Would Abraham have found the ram if he had gone to a mountain of his choosing? He likely had other favorites. But when God commanded him to sacrifice Isaac, he said, “Go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you” (v. 2). God chose the mountain for the sacrifice, and only there would Abraham find the ram from God. We have a similar proverb today: Where God guides he provides. We can count on God’s provision when we obey him.

After we pass a test and prove true to the Lord, we know him better. This is the ultimate reward of a test, for knowing God is better than life. We will trust in God’s love, faithfulness, and goodness more. We will love him more. After this severe test, what Abraham knew more profoundly was, The Lord Will Provide.

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February 21, 2022July 26, 2022

Truth #2 – God Is Perfectly Faithful and True

In your mind, is God absolutely, meticulously, always, always, always faithful and true, or not?

Do you know anyone who, when it comes to being on time, is a perfectionist? If she tells you she will be somewhere by 7:00, you can be sure that she will walk through the door no later than 6:47? To her it is a matter of keeping her word. If she says she will be somewhere at 7:00, she wants others to know that she takes her words seriously. As the saying goes, her word is her bond. If you do business with her, you do not need to sign contracts. If she agrees to something verbally, she will follow through, even if it is to her loss, because the honesty and reliability of her words is more important to her than money, gain, or loss.

God is like her, only more so—perfectly more so. He has no human failings, weaknesses, or limits, and therefore, unlike humans, nothing can stop him from keeping his promises. A car breakdown can keep even the most time conscious among us from showing up when we scheduled, but nothing can stop God from doing what he says.

Perfectly faithful and true

We cannot conceive how important it is to God to keep his promises. He is perfect in all his ways, and thus Titus 1:2 says he “cannot lie.” He cannot do it. He is perfect in righteousness and truth. He loves the truth and hates lies. He has never lied and never will. Nothing is more certain than the reliability of God’s words. His words are perfectly trustworthy, absolutely worthy of belief.

2 Samuel 22:31 says, “This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true.”

Proverbs 30:5 says, “Every word of God proves true.”

God told Jeremiah, “I am watching over my word to perform it” (1:12).

God is not like us

We, on the other hand, all know what it is to lie and be lied to, and perhaps we attribute to God our failing, because human beings do not believe every word that comes from the mouth of God. Sinners doubt and question God. They regard themselves, or the media or a person with a doctorate, as more reliable than God. They believe their own reasonings more than they believe his Scripture. How ridiculous!

That does not mean belief is always easy or logical. God tests people to see whether they will believe him no matter what. He allows his people to go through experiences that seem to deny what his Word says.

Take Abram (Abraham) for archetypal example. God promised to give him a child when he was 75-years-old. At that age, it would be natural for him to assume the promise would be fulfilled within months, not decades. But God ordained that he wait 25 years for the birth of Isaac. Meanwhile God changed Abram’s name to mean “father of nations.”

Detached from reality

So the nature of faith in God’s words is complete reliance on them even when circumstances deny them outright. To others, a believer appears to be detached from reality. But believers hold on to words—God’s words—not current circumstances. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “We walk by faith, not by sight.”

The reason true believers hold on to God’s words is that God stands behind them. Even if we pray and do not see an answer for decades, we know our prayer has not been lost in space and time. Circumstances are nearly irrelevant to a true believer; what is relevant is the character of God and the words he has spoken. That is the enduring reality. Circumstances are a passing reality.

For the God who is truth itself has promised to hear the prayers of those who are in covenant with him and who believe. Again, for emphasis, this truthful God has promised repeatedly to hear and answer the prayers of believers in covenant with him though faith in Jesus, who pray according to the principles and specific promises of Scripture, thus according to his will.

For just one example, Jesus said, “Whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive it all” (NASB20).

Super important to God

Do you believe Jesus? Or do you not? This is crucial. This is what is at stake. Do you believe that God tells the truth always? This is important to God. He wants to make this manifest in each person. He wants to show forth whether you believe him or not. He bases salvation itself on faith (John 3:16). He answers prayer based on faith, not on the intensity of the need. Human faith matters to God (Hebrews 11:6).

Thus we should never be content to live in unbelief about anything he says. Jesus said, “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22), and the context of this statement was one that many could regard as a presumptuous request (cursing a fig tree) if carried on by any other human.

So we believe in God’s words because we believe he is worthy. We honor him by believing him; we dishonor him by doubting him. We are convinced he utters his words with perfect seriousness and never forgets one of them.

Trusting God’s character

Such faith is why Sarah contributed much spiritually to the birth of Isaac when she was 90. It was not just Abraham who believed God; it was Sarah. Hebrews 11:11 says, “By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.”

Sarah considered God to be faithful and true. This is the conviction of everyone who is established in faith. We believe “God is faithful” (1 Corinthians 1:9; 10:13; 2 Corinthians 1:18, Deuteronomy 7:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:24).

He is perfectly faithful and true. We believe therefore he is faithful to his words. We believe he has spoken promises. His promises include numerous promises to hear and answer our prayers.

We need to have the character of God clear in our minds as we consider his promises. Because God is perfectly faithful and true, we can rely completely on his word and promises.

Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)

November 23, 2020November 7, 2020

The Shield of God’s Faithfulness

God’s faithfulness must be your conviction.

Psalm 91:4 (esv)

“His faithfulness is a shield and buckler.”

You will be unshakeable in your confidence in God’s protection when you are immovable in your conviction that God is faithful to his words and faithful to you.

Examples of faithfulness

A compass is faithful and true when the arrow correctly points north.

A plumbline is faithful and true when it correctly displays a vertical line.

A solar and lunar calendar is faithful and true when it correctly predicts the times of the rising and setting of the moon and sun.

A friend is faithful and true when she shops at the grocery and brings food to the home of her sick friend.

A husband is faithful and true when he remains sexually pure and keeps himself only for his wife all their married lives.

A company is faithful and true when it keeps its product guarantees.

A woman is faithful and true when she keeps her promises exactly as she stated them.

A man is faithful and true when he fulfills his vows to God.

John, the writer of the Book of Revelation, describes Jesus, at his return at the end of the age, in this way: “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True” (Revelation 19:11).

Jesus has many names, and one of them is “Faithful and True.”

God’s faithfulness

God is perfectly faithful to his words. He is perfectly faithful to his promises. He is perfectly faithful to his righteousness and justice. Perfectly faithful to his people and covenants. Perfectly faithful to truth. For he is the Truth, and he cannot deny himself. He cannot lie.

Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

Until heaven and earth do pass away, as surely as day follows night, as surely as morning comes day after day, as surely as the sun rises and sets even though obscured by clouds, so it is certain that God is faithful.

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22–23).

The shield and buckler of faithfulness

Psalm 91:4 says your confidence in God’s faithfulness is like the large shield that a soldier carries into battle and like the buckler, which was a small shield the size of a frisbee used in hand-to-hand combat. With shield and buckler a soldier suffers no harm from a hail of incoming arrows or stones, or the thrust of a spear, or the stroke of a sword.

When you are convinced of God’s faithfulness, the sharp, swift arrows of fear cannot sink into your mind. Rebuffed by your certainty that the Lord is faithful and true, the arrows of fear fall to the ground.

When fear tries to take hold of your thoughts, it is time to meditate on the sure faithfulness of God. Meditate on the promises of his faithfulness as long as you need to until once again the conviction that God is faithful and true guard your heart like a shield and buckler.

You then rebuff those fears as easily as you hang up the phone on an unwelcome telemarketer.

Scriptures for meditation on God’s faithfulness

Deuteronomy 7:9 says, “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.”

Deuteronomy 32:4 says, “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?”

Psalm 89:33–35 says, “I will not remove from [King David] my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness. I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips. Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David.”

Psalm 100:5 says, “The LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

Psalm 119:75 says, “I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.”

Psalm 143:1 says, “Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!”

Isaiah 11:5 says, “[5] Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.”

Isaiah 25:1 says, “O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.”

Isaiah 49:7 says, “Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation, the servant of rulers: ‘Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.’”

Lamentations 3:22–23 says, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Matthew 24:35 says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

1 Corinthians 1:9 says, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

2 Corinthians 1:18 says, “As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No.”

1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 says, “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”

2 Thessalonians 3:3 says, “The Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.”

2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.”

Titus 1:2 says Paul wrote to his fellow worker Titus “in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began.”

Hebrews 2:17 says, “He had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”

Hebrews 6:18 says, “It is impossible for God to lie.”

Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”

Hebrews 11:11 says, “By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.”

1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Revelation 19:11 says, “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True.”

February 11, 2019July 15, 2021

16 Ways God Is Faithful

In love, God is faithful.

Here are 16 ways he promises to be faithful to you:

1. God is faithful to tell you the truth.

“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19)

2. Specifically related to that, God is faithful:

*To do what he says, to uphold his Word:

“Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.” (Psalm 119:89)

Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)

*To keep his promises:

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)

“By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.” (Hebrews 11:11)

Joshua said, “And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed.” (Joshua 23:14)

* To tell you his true plans and fulfill them.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No.” (2 Corinthians 1:17–18)

“So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.” (Hebrews 6:17–18)

“O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.” (Isaiah 25:1)

3. God is faithful to his character and truth even if you are unfaithful.

“If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13)

4. God is faithful to answer prayers of faith.

“Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!” (Psalm 143:1)

5. God is faithful to keep you from tests and temptation that are too great for you.

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

6. Jesus as high priest is faithful to propitiate your sins before God.

“Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” (Hebrews 2:17)

7. God is faithful to forgive your sins and cleanse you of all unrighteousness.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

8. God is faithful to sanctify you completely and make you blameless at the coming of Jesus.

“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23–24)

I invite you to read my weekly posts about knowing God and his ways better. —Craig Brian Larson

9. God is faithful both to afflict you when necessary and to comfort you in that affliction.

“I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant.” (Psalm 119:75–76)

“And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.” (Hebrews 12:5–10)

10. God is faithful to establish you and guard you against the evil one.

“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

11. When you suffer and are persecuted, God is faithful to protect your soul.

“Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” (1 Peter 4:19)

12. God is faithful ultimately to cause the rulers of the world to honor Jesus as Lord.

Concerning the Messiah, Isaiah wrote, “Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation, the servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”“ (Isaiah 49:7)

13. God is faithful to establish the earth.

“Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.” (Psalm 119:90)

14. God is faithful to sustain you to the end.

“[God] will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:8–9)

15. God is faithful to keep covenant and steadfast love to all generations.

“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations” (Deuteronomy 7:9)

“I will not remove from [David] my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness. I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips. Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David.” (Psalm 89:33–35)

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22–23)

16. God is faithful to betroth his people to himself forever.

“And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD.” (Hosea 2:18–20)

February 4, 2019January 30, 2019

Faithful Love

You can trust God because at the core of God’s idea of love is faithfulness. He is a covenant maker and a covenant keeper. He is a promise maker and a promise keeper. He is a truth teller and a truth keeper. The Lord values permanent relationships.

Lamentations 3:22–23 says, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

The Lord’s love for you is steadfast and faithful.

You can trust God for everything that really matters.

Many relationships fall out, lose steam, break, even end in betrayal. But not your relationship with God, for he will never betray you, never become bored with you, never lose interest in you, never weaken in his devotion and commitment to you.

God is a relater. He loves people. He loves relationships, permanent relationships, truthful relationships.

You can trust God because he is a covenant keeper

The Lord is a covenant maker and a covenant keeper. He wants covenants and commitments with others. He made a covenant with Noah and his descendants after the flood, which is why we have rainbows. He made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants. He made a covenant with the nation of Israel.

Jesus made a covenant with all those who follow him: “In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’” (1 Corinthians 11:25 ESV)

God is the polar opposite of Judas and treacherous humanity.

God is absolutely faithful to his covenants. At the core of God’s idea of love is faithfulness.

You can trust God because he is a promise keeper

Moreover, God is a promise maker and promise keeper. He relates to us on the basis of promises he makes to act in certain ways, which he requires us to believe. Through this, he wants to display his faithfulness. He delights to show his faithfulness to his promises.

God made promises to Adam and Eve, to Noah and his descendants, to Abraham and Sarah, to Isaac and Rebekah—to everyone, everyone in the Old Testament, everyone in the New Testament. Jesus made promise after promise.

And God expects us to believe every one of them. They are important to him because faithfulness is important to him. Promises are God’s love language. It’s his way of relating to us. He delights to make promises, to see us believe his promises, and then to keep his own promises.

It offends God tremendously if we don’t believe his promises, don’t trust him. It offends him so much that it limits what blessings he pours into our lives. Unbelief restricts who God will be to us. (Mark 6:5–6; Hebrews 11:6; James 1:6–8)

You can’t know God apart from believing his promises. The sure way to see your relationship with God dry up is to stop believing what he says, to doubt the Bible. The sure way to see your relationship with God flourish is to believe his written Word without question, without qualification. When you trust his promises for however long is required, which sometimes takes many years, even decades, even a lifetime, even more than a lifetime, you will ultimately discover the perfect faithfulness of God.

You can trust God because he is a truth keeper

In his faithfulness, God is a truth teller and a truth keeper. He is perfectly faithful to truth, to reality, to all that he says, to all that he is. He is truth. (2 Timothy 2:13)

Truth and love never part ways in God. He is faithful to speak the truth in love. (Ephesians 4:15; 1 John 3:18; 2 John 1:1–3)

Deception is betrayal. Lies break relationships. Relationships are founded on trust, and trust is founded on truth.

At the core of God’s idea of love is truth.

Our way and God’s way

Our way: The love of fallen men is treacherous. They betray and fail each other. They break covenants and commitments. They divorce. They deceive. They don’t do what they say.

God’s way: God’s love is perfectly, absolutely faithful and true.

Life principle: Every day, morning and evening, God’s steadfast love calls for our praise. “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night” (Psalm 92:1–2). God calls us to love him and one another with steadfast love and faithfulness. You need to trust in God’s steadfast love at all times, in every situation, no matter how difficult or painful your circumstances. In a world of shifting sand and miry clay, his faithfulness is your rock and his Word is your reality.

January 7, 2019December 20, 2018

Inseparable Love

You cannot be separated from God’s love if you sincerely love him.

Separable

A few years ago my wife Nancy was sitting in our Sunday morning worship service when she glanced at her left hand and then did a double-take. The diamond on her wedding band was gone. She had a mild panic and began looking around, on her lap, the adjacent chair, the floor—no diamond. She began crying. When we got home, she searched our apartment. No diamond.

We never did find it and were deeply disappointed.

This is a picture of life. We lose things we love. We lose people we love. And the more that happens, and the more painful the losses, the easier it becomes to fear losing what we now have and love.

I will never forget the sudden emptiness in my soul when at age 18 I moved away to college three-months early, on Memorial Day weekend, in order to train with the gymnastics team for the summer. The house I moved into was virtually empty except for one or two other students because most everyone went home for the holiday weekend. I experienced homesickness for the first time, and the sense of pain and loss was sudden, acute, and took me completely by surprise. It really hurt.

Far greater still was the painful surprise 15 years later when my mother and father were in a car accident, and my mother died a few days afterward at age 62. That was the first time I experienced the death of an immediate family member, and it was a shock to my emotions. I grieved for months. I felt pain I had never felt before. At the funeral I remember vividly how difficult it was to believe that she was now separated from me in a way I could not overcome. I could not talk to her or be with her. We were truly separated, at least until we are reunited in heaven. This was not like going away to college and feeling homesick, for then I could write letters to my family, talk on the phone, and go home if I really wanted to go home. No, when my mother died, we were truly separated.

God’s inseparable love

These memories of loss and separation help me appreciate fully one more quality of God’s love. The Lord promises that if we will sincerely follow Jesus, nothing we experience can separate us from his love. Nothing.

In Romans 8, which many people regard as the greatest chapter in the Bible, Paul describes all the ways that God has graciously expressed his love and goodness toward us in Christ. Then he turns to the opposition that Christians face. In the Roman world at that time, following Christ could bring violent, government-sanctioned persecution. What’s more, serving Christ to spread the gospel, as Paul did, meant great hardship. In the face of all these troubles, did Paul feel as though he had somehow lost God’s love?

Far from it. Rather, he writes:

“³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35–39)

Nothing

Paul was not writing in rhetorical metaphors when he spoke of tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, and sword. He had experienced each of these threats firsthand except for the sword—that would come later. But he was certain that none of these things could rob him of God’s love. Neither could death. Neither could supernatural beings like angels or demons or mighty spiritual powers in heavenly places. Neither could any other created thing that any person can face in any place, at any time then or now. They cannot separate us from God’s love. We can separate ourselves from God’s saving love, as Judas did, but nothing outside of us can do that to us.

Tenacious

So, we do not have to fear losing God’s love. His love for you is like the love Ruth pledged to her mother-in-law Naomi, only greater. When Naomi urged Ruth, now a widow, a Gentile, a Moabite, to return home to her family and people, Ruth responded: “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you” (Ruth 1:16–17).

Ruth’s love was humanly tenacious. With none of the weaknesses of fallen humans, God’s love is divinely, perfectly tenacious. He promises to stand by you. You can count on it. No created thing can separate you from the Almighty Creator’s love.

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:27–29)

So, fear not; God’s love for you is far stronger and more tenacious than your love for him.

Our way and God’s way

Our way: We may stop loving others. We may run out of love. Due to our own fault, we may fall out with others; divorce others. Our love can be fickle and self-centered.

God’s way: God’s love is tenacious. His love never ends for those who sincerely love him. His love does finally come to an end for those who persist in rejecting him.