As I have been praying and thinking about this blog, I have been impressed to write about God’s love. In my mind this is an impossible assignment for me. The love of God is so great and vast and beyond my total comprehension. How can I write about it? And at the same time I know there are so many lies that we believe or have believed about God’s love, and that breaks my heart. Too often we forget that His love is not a human love. His love is not flawed like ours. God’s love is perfect. One of my nieces so timely sent me a “you tube” link to a song titled “Pieces”. Its message over-whelmed me and that is putting it mildly! I have listened to it every day, several times. I am continually overcome by the truth and power of its message. So to make an attempt at the impossible, I am going to use the lyrics of the song, Pieces, as the framework, and add scripture for what God tells us about His love to complete this blog.
Pieces
(Bethel Music lyrics are property and copyright of their owners. “Pieces” lyrics provided for educational purposes and personal use only.)
Unreserved, unrestrained
Your love is wild for me
Your love is wild for me
It isn’t shy, it’s unashamed
Your love is proud
To be seen with me
You don’t give your heart in pieces
You don’t hide Yourself to tease us
The LORD your God is in the midst of you, Almighty One, a Savior [Who saves]. He will exult over you with joy, He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them; He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10
But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy and loving-kindness and truth. Psalm 86:15
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever! 1 Chronicles 16:34
How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of men take refuge and put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. Psalm 36:7
See what [an incredible] quality of love the Father has given (shown, bestowed on) us, that we should [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are! The reason that the world does not know us is that it does not know (recognize and acknowledge) Him. 1 John 3:1
Uncontrolled, uncontained
Your love is a fire
Burning bright to me
It’s not just a spark
It’s not just a flame
Your love is a light
That all the world will see
All the world will see
In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men. And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it. John 1:4-5
Your love’s not fractured
It’s not a troubled mind
It isn’t anxious
It’s not the restless kind
Your love’s not passive
It’s never disengaged
It’s always present
It hangs on every word we say
Love keeps its promises
It keeps its word
It honors what is sacred
Because its vows are good
Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Love never fails [never fades or become obsolete or come to and end]… 1 Corinthians 13:7-8
Your love’s not broken
It’s not insecure
Your love’s not selfish
Your love is pure
But when the complete and perfect (total) comes, the incomplete and imperfect will vanish away (become antiquated, void, and superseded). 1 Corinthians 13:10
This changes everything I believed about love
You are not a man that You should lie
Not a father that would take off
No, You’re the real thing
God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Numbers 23:19
Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind. 1 Samuel 15:29
The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him. Psalm 32:10
He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8
You’re holding nothing back
You give Your whole heart
It is not in Your nature to withhold from me
You don’t give in pieces
You give everything
You give Your whole heart
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17
For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue). 2 Peter 1:3
When He says He loves you
There are no strings attached
You can’t earn it
Work hard enough for it
Be pretty enough
More beautiful
Do better
He just loves you because
It is not about performance
Who sings the best
Who brings the best
For he foreordained us (destined us, planned for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [because it pleased Him and was His kind intent]. [So that we might be] to the praise and the commendation of His glorious grace (favor and mercy), which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:5-6
For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God. Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possible do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.] Ephesians 2: 8-9
You’re not cruel
You are kind
You never give in pieces
Your hand is gathering all the pieces of our hearts
And putting them back together again
You know what breaks our hearts
Where to find all the pieces
He’s coming for you!
Ready or not!
Maybe you’ve never known love
But He is chasing you down
He’s gathering all the pieces
Broken lives
Broken minds
Broken hearts
He’s gonna love you together again
We’ve been broken but we’re coming together again
He’s coming for you
Every heart make Him room
Your love has called my name
The Lord is close to those who are of a broken heart and saves such as are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [curing their pains and their sorrows]. Psalm 147:3
For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, now powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all of creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
…Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood [by God]. 1 Corinthians 13:12
You number and record my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle—are they not in Your book? Psalm 56:8
Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me. Isaiah 49:16
He has brought me to his banquet hall, and his banner over me is love. Song of Solomon 2:4
I close with this text message my niece sent me as we were talking about the love of God: “Our Father God knows our darkest secrets that we don’t share with anyone. We don’t share them not because we are not free ourselves, but because they are too insecure to hear the truths of our shame and love us unconditionally. Father God knows ALL of our lives and was even present in those details. Nothing goes unseen to our Mighty God and He knows and loves us anyway! He is not a God that is too weak to know our infidelity and still wholly love us! He loves us more than anyone, more perfectly than all! He is a good God!”
If your life has robbed you of experiencing the perfect love of God, we can help. We use the Truth of God to reveal hurts and lies we have believed. Only then can we believe God could love us with His perfect love when we see ourselves as so imperfect. God’s love may be impossible to describe but it is possible to experience it. Contact Crossway Ministries today and begin a new chapter in your journey.