Does God Love Me?: The Importance of Trusting God’s Enduring Love
Are You Stuck?
When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; He brought me into a spacious place. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
Have you ever felt stuck between a rock and a hard place? The author of Psalm 118 knew that feeling all too well. So do I. I’m sure most people do. It’s easy to wonder “does God love me??” Or even “does anybody love me?” In fact, one thing I’m proud of the younger generation for is their general acknowledgement of emotional and mental distress. Words like “anxiety” and “depression” didn’t get as much recognition in my day. I can only speak on my experience as a black woman, so excuse me if my next statement doesn’t apply to you. If it does, know that I’m not trying to leave you out.
For me, growing up black meant “faking it until you make it” in almost every area of life. Throughout my childhood, I was told that children don’t have nerves to get on and I didn’t have any problems that warranted the need for emotional comfort. As I got older, the narrative changed to “we all have problems, put on a smile and go to work”. I heard several other phrases that amounted to “just get over it”. So, I can appreciate that depression and anxiety are getting the recognition the people struggling with them deserve. Life is hard. But some people are truly in need of help during certain seasons of their life and a “get over it” could just push them over the edge.
I can’t help but wonder why people are so quick to force others to dismiss their woes. Perhaps it is a lack of empathy, wisdom, or compassion that makes some of us rush people to the other side of their problems. Maybe a few of us are so uncomfortable with encouraging others through their traumas because we never got to heal from our own. Despite the root, it’s clear that being “hard pressed” goes all the way back to biblical days. It is not a recent phenomenon.
Does God Love Me?
If you search the Bible for God’s take on our physical, emotional, and mental afflictions – you’ll find that He didn’t create us with them. It’s not God’s will for us to be depressed, anxious, broke, or traumatized. His love created you with a perfect life in mind. While I’m not medically certified to give any advice on depression, anxiety or anything of that nature – I can guarantee you that none of it was in God’s original plan. And since we can pray that God’s will for our lives prevail, I think it’s important to look at some scriptures to try to get God’s point-of-view of our “hard pressed” places.
The author of Psalm 118 tells us exactly what he did when he was in between a rock and a hard place. He cried out to God. We don’t get the sense that this was his last resort, either. He didn’t cry out to God after all other options failed. Now, there certainly are those instances in the Bible, and in my own life, where prayer was an afterthought. God is loving and faithful, regardless. So if you’re that person who’s tried everything else first, don’t check out here. This encouraging word is for you, too. It’s just that this scripture seems to be written by someone who cried out to God because he trusted Him, not out of pure desperation.
Psalm 118 starts with how we should thank God for His goodness and enduring love . How do you know you can trust God when life has you hard pressed? You can trust His love, even when you cannot discern His presence.
Cast all your anxiety on him because He cares for you.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “cast” as to throw off or away or to get rid of. Get rid of your anxiety. Refuse to let it belong to you. You know God can handle your problems and that He wants to. Give them to Him in exchange for His peace. God stands behind His Word. So even when you can’t feel Him, you know you can throw Him your problems. Then once you’ve given them over to the Problem-solver, refuse to dwell on them.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Adjust Your Focus
Again, I want to emphasize that I am not minimizing or pretending to be an expert on depression or anxiety. What I know for sure is that God is faithful to His Word and that often we cause some aspects of our own mental and emotional problems with an improper focus. God says that we have peace when we keep our mind stayed on Jesus (Isaiah 26:3). We do that by rejecting thoughts that amplify our problems and forcing those that magnify our God.
You may have lost your job, and while that’s a problem that needs a solution, focus on how God is your Provider. Sickness and disease may afflict one’s body, but a believer will focus on God’s healing power. Life isn’t always good, but God is. He is consistently working things out for our good. That means there will be bad times, feelings, and events that we must endure. However, when we keep our eyes on the prize, we can endure those hardships as God intended us to.
Psalms 118 reminds us in several verses about God’s love for us The author goes a step further to emphasize that these are words we should say out loud.
Let those who fear the Lord say: “His love endures forever.”
Throughout most of the Pandemic, Pastors Creflo and Taffi Dollar have done daily confessions of faith on YouTube. I bring it up because Pastor Creflo has a teaching about how to think on good things. I’m paraphrasing, but he says you can’t control what thoughts come to your head but you’re in charge of which get to stay. To reject the ones that shouldn’t be there, he encourages us to say words of faith out loud. When you speak the word, or any word, your thoughts get interrupted so you can focus on what you’re saying. Psalm 118:4 says those who trust in the Lord should talk about His enduring love.
As I meditated on this scripture, it encouraged me. God’s love endures forever. Don’t gloss over those words or take them for granted. All throughout the Bible, we are told to endure, to patiently wait, to hold on to hope. Isn’t it encouraging that God’s love is also enduring? He’s not just some spiritual cheerleader cheering us on from His comfy, heavenly seat. God’s love is enduring with us. God doesn’t want to see you suffer. Pain and lack weren’t in His original plan. But because of the fallen world we live in, here we are. Struggle and discomfort are not only inevitable, but now necessary to help us mature (James 1:2-4). Yet God’s love endures forever.
Trust God’s Love For You
No matter how alone you may feel, God’s love is always surrounding you. He’s with you in whatever fire you find yourself in. You can’t out sin or out struggle His love. Whatever you go through, He’s right there with you. Despite the Psalmist’s need to cry out to the Lord from His tight spot, He never forgot why he had that opportunity to reach out to God. He knew his Father loved him enough to not only hear his cry, but to help him out of his situation.
Despite his temporary circumstances, he trusted in God’s enduring love for him. He refused to let fear control his narrative. “What can mere mortals do to me?” he asked. I’d encourage you to ask the same question. What can mere mortals do to you when the immortal God of the universe is on your side? Debt collectors, the government, criminals – what can they do to you when God is backing you up? Now, don’t get me wrong, wisdom is invaluable. I wouldn’t suggest screaming this scripture and then running into a gang meeting or refusing to pay your bills and expecting God to float you along. What I’m saying is, you don’t have to walk in fear when the Almighty God loves you more than you love yourself.
You can rest, walk, and abide in that love. There isn’t a person alive that can stop you from fulfilling your purpose – except you. I don’t care what color you are, what your background is, what glass ceiling society is trying to place on your potential – nobody can stop you from achieving God’s will for your life except for you. That doesn’t mean you won’t sometimes find yourself between a rock and a hard place. It just means you don’t have to stay there.
So what should you do when you feel alone? There may be times that God is intentionally quiet. Only God understands all His ways. However, you can evaluate yourself and your end of the relationship with God. Perhaps He’s speaking and you just can’t hear Him.
While all scripture has the potential to change lives, I remember a specific chapter that shifted my entire perspective on hearing from God. 1 Kings 19 tells us the story of Elijah when he was in one of his own tight places. Though we know God is always around, verse 11 makes us aware that Elijah had instructions to go somewhere to encounter the manifested presence of God. God is always everywhere, but sometimes He intentionally manifests His presence. So Elijah followed the instructions and went to the meeting place.
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
The voice of the Lord was not in the wind, the earthquake, nor the fire. Elijah knew enough about God to know it was the gentle whisper that held his much needed word. While God can and has used attention-demanding works, often enough, He speaks in a gentle whisper. The question isn’t always if God is talking, but if you have the ears to hear.
God is always with you. But when you intentionally create space for Him, you allow Him the freedom to change your life. No matter how tight your hard space is, God can and wants to bring you into a spacious place. Trusting His enduring love, being still enough to hear His voice, and focusing on Jesus ensure that even when you’re in a tough spot, you won’t have to stay there. What can mere mortals do to you? Nothing. Absolutely nothing – unless you allow them. Thank God for His enduring love today!
