Since my son Keaton was born on September 19, 2006, the Lord has been teaching me a lot about His love. There was the time when I was praying for Keaton. As is my custom, I was up in the parking lot of our church pacing back and forth as I prayed. I love to be outdoors when I pray—it seems that I can commune best with God when I talk to Him surrounded by His creation; and the church I work at is nestled in the beautiful rolling hills of the Shenandoah Valley.
So, I was praying for Keaton. I have said the same prayer for Keaton so many times that it has become a sort of liturgy—but I deeply mean it every time I pray it. I pray: “Lord, may Keaton come to know you at a young age. May he not have to go through rebellion. And may his life bring you much glory.”
Well, I guess I have been pretty confident that Keaton will someday become a Christ follower. I suppose I have believed that the sheer weight and consistency of my prayers would cause Keaton to come to Christ, or maybe my genuine relationship with the Lord would win Keaton’s heart over to a loving God. But this one morning as I prayed for Keaton, it hit me—what if Keaton doesn’t put his faith in Jesus and trust Him for salvation? My heart began to race and my eyes became teary. I prayed desperately, “No, Lord, you can’t let that happen. If that were to happen I couldn’t bear it. If that were to happen, I couldn’t live with myself. If that were to happen, why did you put this love in my heart? Why did you make me love him so much? No, no, no, no!”
Then just as quickly as I was filled with sheer desperation, a still small voice reminded me of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world…” I realized that the desperation that my heart was feeling was the same as what God feels for all of humanity. The desperation I was feeling God must feel a million times more intensely as he thinks of the masses that He so loves. Just the thought that God loves me is overwhelming.
There was another time when I was holding Keaton, and my heart surged with unconditional love for the little man. As we stood there in the kitchen, I squeezed him even tighter. As I hugged Keaton, it was as if the Lord was hugging me. It was one of those weird moments where God is almost tangible. I felt the Lord speaking to my soul that my love for Keaton is a reflection of His love for me. In fact one of the reasons he allows me to experience love is so that I can sort of understand his great love for me. I was floored. I thought to my self: “Does God really feel the same way toward me that I feel toward Keaton?” It is almost as if I have to convince myself of this, but I do believe it. Again, John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world…”
Christians talk a lot about how we are to love God. We admonish others and ourselves to read the Bible regularly, to pray regularly, to obey God consistently, etc., but we rarely spend that much time thinking about how God loves us. Maybe we should spend more time meditating upon His love for us. Most people have been truly liked and loved by at least one person in their life. Maybe it was their mom and dad, or a grandparent, or a spouse, or a teacher. When we are liked and loved, there is something within that motivates us to love back. The Bible teaches that God loved us first, before we were even lovable—when we could care less about Him.
Stop and think for a moment about this: God loves you. Doesn’t that make you want to love Him back? God’s adoration and love for us can motivate us to love God. So next time you are holding your child or you grandchild, or the next time you are enjoying the presence of your spouse or a good friend—remind yourself that God so loved the world.
Kipp
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