Pastor’s Corner: “Relentless”
Romans 8:38-39 (NIV) – 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Have you ever felt like the world was pressing down on you like a jack hammer? The daily pressures of life. The loss of a spouse, child, parent. Grief, financial crisis, worry, anxiety, guilt, un-forgiveness, fear, shame, harsh words, bitterness. Blasting, pounding, noise, chipping, drilling, blasting away, trying to destroy you and turn your faith into a pile of ruin and rubble (this is what it feels like). It’s relentless. We cry out, “God, are You there? Do You hear me?”
But even more relentless than the jack hammer pressing down on you is the RELENTLESS LOVE OF GOD. Do you know that you, yes YOU, are loved by the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the beloved of all creation, the Lord of love Himself, with an everlasting, relentless love? He is the author of all things, including love. He’s the Giver of life and all good and perfect gifts. Sometimes His love is encapsulated in the pain, but it’s there none the less. He’s with you even as life is pressing in.
Still not convinced? Let me see if I can show you a few more reasons:
I Kings 8:23 (MSG) There is no God like you in the skies above or on the earth below who … relentlessly loves
Isaiah 54:10(NIV) For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT) – 17 For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
Psalm 36:5 (NLT) – 5 Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
Psalm 103:11 (NIV) – 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
DRAW NEAR TO HIM AND HIS LOVE – Psalm 73:28 (AMP) – 28 But as for me, it is good for me to draw near to God; I have made the Lord God my refuge and placed my trust in Him, That I may tell of all Your works. Hold this close to your heart, but also fly it high as a banner of love over your head. Let that banner draw hurting, lost and searching souls to that love they see over you by your attitude of mercy. Extend a hand of forgiveness, just as His arms were stretched and His hands nailed to a cross for your forgiveness. Our Lord and Savior never gossips, never, lies, never points a finger in harsh judgement against His own. You can trust Him with Your deepest thoughts. Don’t listen to the voices of the culture. They desire to lead you away from Perfect Love and down the path of shallow love. His is the voice we are to listen to. These are His Words, this is His voice to you: Jeremiah 31:3 – I love You with an everlasting love. I draw you to myself continually in loving kindness and faithfulness.
Although we are continually tempted to equate God’s love with the absence of trouble and jack hammers, we can choose to shift our focus to His unmatched RELENTLESS LOVING KINDNESS. His grace continuously communicates we are loved deeply by God regardless of what we experience in life. What He allows may be the very tool He uses to draw us closer to Him. If you find yourself in the middle of a season of jack hammering difficulty, read these scriptures again and remember that when everything else fails and falls away, God’s unmatched, relentless, sustaining, steadfast, great and amazing LOVE will never fail and is eternal (forever) FOR YOU!
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton