How Does Your Love Encounter Me?

God has a very special place in His heart for those who feel broken. The story of Hosea is a picture of how much God is constantly seeking after and loving us in spite of what we do. Even after Hosea had married his wife, Gomer, she had a tendency to leave him. In Hosea chapter 3 God tells Hosea to go and love Gomer, though she had left him to be with another man. Can you see Hosea going around to the brothels and strip clubs asking, “Have you seen my wife?” When he found her, there was a price he had to pay. She was being trafficked, and he had to buy her back. It was then that he spoke a vow of love and commitment to her. He even chose to not be intimate with her so that she could receive healing. It may have felt like everything was being stripped away, but in the end she would come to love again.

Sometimes it feels like everything in our life is being stripped away. It can feel like we are going through a wilderness. Hosea 2:13 promises that God will meet us in the wilderness and “transform the valley of trouble into a gateway of hope”.

Are you in a valley of trouble right now? Are you in, or have you been in, a time when you felt alone or isolated? When God leads us through the wilderness, it is so that He can capture our heart. It is there that He speaks tenderly to us and reveals to us who we truly are.

When have you felt like everything is being stripped away?

How does God speak to you in the wilderness?

It is in the wilderness that the Lord reveals His commitment to love. What do you think of when you hear the word LOVE?

How would you identify the love of God?

God is three persons who all are united as one. In the trinity we get a fuller picture of who God is as Father, Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit.

The Love of the Father - protects, provides, affirms our identity.

The Love of Jesus - saves, provides companionship, calls us friends.

The Love of Holy Spirit - comforts, nurtures, reveals truth, guides.

Which person of the Godhead do you most easily connect with? Take a moment to look into His face, what emotions come to your heart? Ask Him, How do You love me?

Encountering the love of God is powerful. If you are struggling to receive love, this is an opportunity to allow Him to show you areas where you may have been wounded and need healing.

We were born to connect. That is why God placed us in a family. No matter what our birth family looked like or the circumstances surrounding our birth, God says that each of us is adopted by Him. Each of us is created in His image, and we are His child first and foremost. We are all born with a need for attachment and love. Naturally, we are designed to bond with a father, mother, and siblings/friends. These relationships are designed to create a rhythm in our heart that says, “I am safe, seen, and cared for.” As we seek to connect with God, we may discover places in our heart that feel resistant or distant from Him. Often the way we view the godhead is shaped by how we connected or lacked connection with those early attachments in our life. God desires to meet us in the places where we have experienced relational brokenness (See Psalm 27:7-10). His love wants to encounter our heart in ways we may never have experienced before. The following questions are an opportunity for you to invite the love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to meet you in your place of greatest need.

What are some of the needs you had at an early age?

How were these needs met/unmet?

Is there a message about God or your heart that you picked up?

Ask God, How do You care for my needs?

What do You want to say to me about how You saw my heart when I was young?

How is Your love encountering me today?

Consider how this passage from Ephesians speaks to the ways that God encounters you with His love.

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” Ephesians 1:3-5 (NLT)

The God who adopted and calls you His own is speaking messages of love to you. Have you stopped to listen? You may hear Him say, “I have not asked you to walk alone. I have never left you. I see you. You are the one who captivates my heart. I have good and beautiful plans for you. I am here for you and not against you. I want you to experience the fullness of My love. I want you to come alive. I have designed you for a great purpose. You are My child, and I love you.”