I LOVE THE LORD

Psalm 116:1-5 says, "I love the LORD because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath! Death wrapped its ropes around me; the terrors of the grave overtook me. I saw only trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: 'Please, Lord, save me!' How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours!" The Psalm writer expressed his love for the LORD because He heard his voice and his prayer for mercy. While he was facing death and only saw trouble and sorrow, he called to God to save him, and God answered his prayer and showed him mercy. His faith in God led him to experience God's power in his suffering. Noticed that he never gave up believing in God while he was in the midst of his suffering, but he resolved in his heart that he would continue to pray to God as long as he had breath. His love of God was based on his experience, and not only on what he knew about God. And He experienced God because He believed in God in the midst of his suffering.

To truly love God, we must experience His power in our lives. And we can only experience Him when we continue to trust and pray to Him in the midst of our difficulties. I love God because I have experienced Him in my difficulties and sufferings. I believed in Jesus and gave my life to Him when my mother died of heart disease. I was 15 years old then. Four years later, my father died. It has not been easy to lose parents at that age, but God has been taking care of my siblings and me. In the midst of sorrow, disappointment, and struggles, God saved my life and showed me how much He loved me. As a result, I love Him. God is always with me when I am in my darkest hour and in need of comfort and assurance. God held my life together, even when I was sinning and rebelling against Him. He never let me go. We must experience God in our faith in Him in order for us to truly love Him. 

In the midst of our problems and struggles, we have opportunities to experience Him by trusting and constantly praying to Him. As we encounter Him, we will come to know His faithfulness and, in time, develop a deep love for Him.

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) How do I experience God? Give three examples of how you personally experience God. Do I love God?

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them up to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for saving and taking care of me. I love you because you first love me. I am who I am today because of your faithfulness and love for me. As I go through my day today, please help me continue to trust you. May my love for you continue to grow, and let it shine in and through me that others may see your love. In your name, Jesus, I pray, Amen.