For the Lonely Hearts

Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash

Ahh, Valentine’s Day. Is it a timely reminder to show our loved ones how much we care or simply a strategic marketing ploy? It seems no sooner do we ring in the new year than the grocery store is brimming with hearts, chocolates, and teddy bears. Commercials for diamonds and flowers infiltrate our streaming services. Our social media feeds put a personal spin on it, allowing us to watch as people we know are showered in symbols of love. It can sting a little. Sometimes a lot. 

No matter our relationship status, chances are we each know what a lonely heart feels like. When loneliness strikes, we naturally begin to dwell in the oh-so-unhelpful “if only.” 

If only I wasn’t alone.

If only I was good enough.

If only someone could understand.

If only I could move on.

If only I was worthy.

If only I didn’t feel this way.

Perhaps you have your own “if onlys” that would be right at home on this list. In a future post, I’d like to explore how God can use these questions to draw us to Himself. Today, I simply want to offer a better “if only.” If only I understood God’s love more fully. His love is so vast that our human hearts and minds need supernatural expansion to grasp it. Praise God! It is His delight to do that very thing.

How Much Does Jesus Love You?

Jesus once looked His disciples in the eyes and spoke the most incredible profession of love. He intended it not just for them, but for us too.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.” (Jn 15:9)

Wait a sec. Do me a favor. Pause a moment to ask the Holy Spirit to expand your mind and heart to grasp what I’m about to tell you. (I bet you kept reading without pausing. It will only take two seconds and it might mean the difference between a cheesy Valentine’s post and a quiet encounter with Him.) 

Do you want to know how much God loves you? Then look at how much the Father loves the Son. That’s how much Jesus loves you. Jesus loves you to the same degree that the Father loves Him. 

Trinitarian Love

The Father, Son, and Spirit exist in perfect unity, connected through a bond of love deeper and richer than we can imagine. You can see this expressed at the baptism of Jesus. The Holy Spirit descends on Him and the Father’s voice echoes out, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22) 

It’s tempting to think that Jesus earned God’s love by living a perfect life and carrying out God’s will on earth, yet scripture is clear that God’s full love was His from the dawn of creation—before the resurrection, the cross, or even the nativity. He has enjoyed it from eternity past because it overflowed to Him from the limitless storehouse of the Father’s heart. 

When He says, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you,” He’s saying that this deep well of love extends to you for the same reason—because of who He is, and because you are His. His love for you is not based on your performance or your potential. He loves you because He wants to.

The Voice of Love

Let's take a minute and remind ourselves who this God is. Thousands of years before these words flowed from the human lips of Jesus, He spoke words of creation. With a simple and strong “Let there be…” He cast the stars and planets into space, called all kinds of flora to spring up on earth, and fashioned every living creature. This is the God who loves you. (Genesis 1)

Later, He spoke to the Hebrew people gathered around the base of Mount Sinai. He had life-giving words to offer them (the details of the covenantal relationship that would lead to their flourishing), but His voice sounded so much like a raging hurricane that they were too afraid to draw near. This is the God who loves you. (Ex 19:16-20; 20:18-21) 

We have to throw away the idea that Jesus is a tender and loving version of God, some sort of extension or replacement of the wrathful Old Testament I AM. No! He is the Old Testament God! He is Yahweh, wrapped in a human body so we could finally hear and understand His words of love. He is a God of compassion, grace, steadfast love, forgiveness, and justice. (Ex 34:5-8) We see expressions of this character all throughout Scripture, culminating in the work of Jesus on our behalf. This is the God who loves you.

If Only

A clearer understanding of who God is and of how much He loves us will rarely change our circumstances, but it will always transform how we experience those circumstances. If only we understood God’s love more fully! 

As you head off to face the rest of your day, take this one thought with you: Jesus loves you to the same degree that the Father loves Him. Because He wants to. Because you’re His.

May the Spirit miraculously empower you to comprehend the length, width, height, and depth of the love of God for you. May you know this love that surpasses knowledge and be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph 3:17-19). 

On Valentine’s Day, and every day, you are loved. You are his.