One thing I have been learning recently, more and more, is about living in the Father’s presence, aware of His love.
Whether or not we realise it, the Father is always there with us; surrounding us; reaching out to us in love.
He gave His Son so that we can turn back to Him, be forgiven and receive the love that has always been reaching out to us…is reaching out to us now.
Sometimes I am more aware of it than others. Sometimes He gives us a special sense of His presence to help us through a hard time (and we can ask Him for that- and for every other time, too!).
But, whether or not we realise it, He is always there with us, waiting for us, loving us.
He wants us to reach out to Him. He is always there, waiting for us; reaching out to us; offering us His love.
He wants to take our cares from us and give us His peace.
He wants to comfort us; sweeter than any false comfort we try to turn to for relief from life’s hurts.
He is there to forgive us when we go astray.
He is there to hold us while we hurt; and while we heal.
It can be a journey of beginning to believe it. It has been for me. The moment I gave my heart to Jesus as a very little girl, my relationship with the Father, which had been broken by my sin, was restored, but it has taken years for me to come to a place of deep peace in the Father’s love (and it will probably ebb and flow while I am on this earth). I used to think it wasn’t possible; that I would never believe He truly loves me; truly delights in me.
I asked Him to help me believe it, and He has done a deep work in me. I believe it now, at least a lot of the time. But, in Jesus, it was true all along, whether I knew it or not.
And it’s still true now, on days when I feel like it and days when I don’t.
Because my identity is in Christ. I am forgiven. I am accepted. I am so very, very loved. My Father sings over me; holds me in His grace.
I am His because of Jesus.
And I am not the only one! If you belong to Jesus, it’s true of you, too.
And, if you do not belong to Jesus yet, you can! He is there, waiting for you, offering His loving and gracious forgiveness when you come to Him, turning from wrong and believing that Jesus died in your place. It’s the way of following Him as Lord of our lives, and it’s not always easy, but it’s the way to know the love of the Father we all long to know… and it’s the way to an eternal Home with Him… the way to the love that has been surrounding you all along.
You are surrounded by far, far more love than you realise.
And He is waiting for you… loving you… right now.
Caroline Abblitt 