Love Himself
Hannah is an undergraduate Theology student at St Mellitus College.
Romans 8: 38-39 (NLT)
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
As a little girl, I was blessed to have two very loving parents. Every night, when they tucked me in and said goodnight, we followed a long but precious bedtime routine. The script went something along the lines of: ‘sleep well, goodnight, see you in the morning, snugglybugs, I love you’. If my parents or I got a word wrong, we had to start again - that is if they wanted any chance of me sleeping peacefully! I cherish this memory: I remember the peace and safety I felt every night, and I think this mainly came down to the words ‘I love you’. As a child, there is nothing you want more than to hear your parents tell you daily how much they love you.
Earthly love is a beautiful gift, but as Children of God, we have the privilege of experiencing God's agape love. This is the greatest love of all, expressing a selfless, unconditional, and sacrificial love. And just like 5-year-old me, we long to be reminded daily by our Heavenly Father that he loves us.
We are so used to hearing the words ‘God loves you’ or ‘the love of God’, yet how often do we take a moment to reflect on the enormity and wonder of this love? A love that would send his only Son to die for us. A love that cannot be contained or suppressed. A love that is unconditional and larger than we can fathom. A love we do not have to strive to receive.
This verse reminds us that God's love is greater than where we go, what we do, who we face and what we fear. God’s love is not dependent on our circumstances, our sins, or our fears.
We are in constant communion with Love Himself and nothing visible or invisible can come between that perfect communion.
Prayer - Lord, gift us this week a fresh revelation of the beauty of your unconditional, sacrificial love. May we grasp the fullness of what it means to be loved by you.