Welcome to my blog. Keeping with the theme of today’s devotional, I’ve posted an excerpt from my book about God’s love. I hope it speaks to your heart…
“God’s love is true and reliable, but sometimes we don’t feel worthy to be loved by God. Sometimes because of things that happened in our past we think the Lord could never love us. At other times we let our affection for God grow dim when we experience unexpected troubles or sorrows. These types of experiences can also make us feel as if God has turned His back on us and withheld His love. This is the way I felt after Porter’s death. I was trapped in Satan’s lie that God didn’t care. It wasn’t long before my feelings toward God gave way to pure anger. With fear and trembling, I nervously wondered, “Has God taken His hands off the wheel of my life? Has He left me to spin helplessly out of control?”
Most days were a blur after I returned home from Porter’s funeral. I couldn’t focus on cleaning. I couldn’t even concentrate on my son. Sadness was my only garment. All I thought was, “God, where are you? Don’t you care?” Perhaps, you’ve felt the same way. We tend to think that once we belong to God we are placed inside a spiritual bubble that protects us from all adversity, worry, and fear. We assume that experiencing peace and happiness show we have a caring Father, but when we experience trials we question his love. Yet, the bible tells us that even as children of God, we are not free from troubles. Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:32).
No, God hasn’t taken His hands off of the wheel of my life or yours. He is aware of our circumstances and is in complete control. Still, when life suddenly turns stormy and unexpected events occur, we doubt God’s love. Trials and troubles in our lives don’t mean that God doesn’t care. During these times when we feel alone and betrayed, we must not give an ear to Satan’s lies. Instead, we must trust that God is acting in love on our behalf even in dire circumstances. Even though our fears and emotions my lead us to believe otherwise, God, and what He allows into our lives, is always motivated by one thing—love.
Have you ever wondered what’s on the heart of God? Is it world hunger, war, UFO’s, or simply the mind-draining task of running the universe? While these things may be on the mind of God, you and I are the precious treasures that are on His heart.
Before we were born, God knew all about us. He knew what we would fear, the troubles we would face, and the mistakes we would make. Yet, He chose to love us anyway. “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (John 15:16a). Therefore, we can experience His love without shame or fear, knowing that troubles do not mean God doesn’t care. It means He does care. Every move God makes on our behalf is based on love. God allows the hard things in life to develop genuine faith in us so that we are able to stand when the next storm comes our way.
Understanding this truth about God helped me to see that God is not against me. He is for me. When anxious times enter my life, I strengthen my faith by reciting what I know to be true.
“Lord, I trust that you are with me. I know that you will never leave me nor forsake me. I am not alone. You care for me. You are my provider and you have a special, perfect plan for me. It’s a plan to bring me good not bad. I do not have to be afraid for you are faithful. What I’m experiencing now may not be what I want or what I had planned for my life, but I trust you, Lord.” When we can say these things, we know that our faith is becoming stronger than our fears.”
I pray you experience God’s love today, friend.
Deborah says
Micca,
Every word you wrote in today's devotion in "Encouragement for Today" and "Worthy of God's Love" were words that my son needs to hear and read. I'm going to print them out for him to read when I visit with him today. He's been in a rehab hospital since last Friday for drug addition. I also needed to read and soak in what you said, when my son tells me he's anxious, I think to myself that he wouldn't be if he were calling out to God. I admit it bothers me when he tells me he's anxious, I need to be an encourager for him and let him know that he is worthy to be loved by God and to call upon Him. The verse I'm leaning on today for him is in Jeremiah 17:14: Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me and I shall be saved, for You are my praise.
Bless you Micca!
Deborah
sagreen125 says
thanks so much for your words. we have this storm around around us, and needed to be so reminded that God is with us. that as I seek him more in this storm, my faith is growing. as another storm, I will grow as I seek him. boy this was the prefect timing. thanks
Momof5 says
What a wonderful devotional! It is hard as imperfect humans to imagine that He love us…no matter what. 6 years ago I lost my son and went through some of those same times that you described, and sometimes still do. Although now I know that I rest as a child of God in the palm of His hand and He will see me through the storms of my life. I praise Him for the storms…it is then that we see the beautiful rainbows of life!
Lorie says
As I was reading "Encouragement for Today" and "Worthy of God's Love" I felt as if God was speaking to me directly through your words. I lost my 8 1/2 year old son to Leukemia 3 months ago. God has been with us every step of the way throughout his sickness. We've trusted that it was all in His plan. He has comforted us, but did not take the pain away. We've learned so much about relying on Him.
Yesterday was a difficult day for me. Throughout Brett's sickness and right after his death we were surrounded by many people. Their support carried us through. Now, 3 months later the support is fading. Life all around us has returned to normal. No more encouraging cards in the mail, no more phone calls and it just seems that we're left alone to face the pain. You can read more about our experience at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/theclownfish.
Thank you for letting God speak through you!
Lorie Bowden
Sharon says
Good Morning, I read your devotion this morning, and I must say that was the most beautiful~real~heart touching post I have ever read. I have been reading these for 3 years now, YOU have taught me more today in this devotion than I have learned so far this year. Thank you for sharing this story with us, I know it was not easy.
God Bless you my friend
heather u says
Micca,
While I know that each handles adversity differently, your words in today's devo have described just about every emotion I have felt in the aftermath of my husband's death. two years later, and I still tear up sometimes. not for lack of hope, but because I feel like I didn't treasure our time together enough when he was here. Still I know that God has been with me and my daughter throughout and that He will continue to Love & Bless us with each coming day. Thank you so much for your words of encouragement today!
Shannon Smith says
Thank you for sharing such beautifull insights from God's word and how we can apply them to our daily life!
Betty says
Your devotional touched me today as I have experienced that very thing. As a twenty-seven year old and pregnant with my 3rd child my husband was killed in an accident and I searched the faces of anyone in a truck from the company he worked for for quite a while.
The time period following the death of my husband was one of the hardest in my life but also became one of the greatest times of spiritual growth for me as the only time I could get some peace was while reading my bible and praying. I have always had trouble sleeping but my mother said she found me sleeping so many times with my bible on my face. During that time I felt held by God. If we look for Him he is always there.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
2 Cor. 1:3-4
betty says
Micca,
Thank you for the devotion today. I have gone throught the same thing. 5 years ago, I lost my husband of 22 years in a work accident. I re-married and lost my next husband of months to Cancer. I cried out to God and thought he just turned on me. Why would a loving God do this to me? But in the last 3 years I know that he has been carrying me, like the foot prints in the sand. I went away from God, but he knew that I would be back. I'm back, I think better than ever. I know he will never leave me, I am and allways will be a child of God. Thank you again for this wonderful devotion today.
Blessing to you
Betty
Star-chuu says
Hi Micca, Greetings in Christ!
I am glad that I subscribed in Proverbs 31 and read you're inspirational word..It is a great devotional that touched my heart as I felt empty today. Last night, I was in my my emotional stage and remembered my past that made me teary. Well, again and again, I question God and asking Him to notice what I felt and my need. However, God tells me now that He never failed to help me upon reading you're blog. Through these He reminds me how He love me and my family. Thank you so much Micca for sharing with us your inspirational daily devotion. I also want to share with you this.
http://www.star-chuu.net/2009/01/battered-wifebitter-life.html
hope you can visit me too and I really need more Christian friends, because I believe that they are the only one who can understand me and my feelings. God bless and more power.
On Purpose says
Thank You Micca for allowing God to use you as a vessel in His world to help heal those around you!
Jeff says
The fact is we are NOT worthy of Gods love!! Thats what makes it so incredible!!! That He chose before the foundations of the world to demonstrate His great love for us. If we are worthy of Gods love then God loves us with a conditional love and not an unconditional love. He loves us because…… Thats very discouraging to say the least. But Gods love for us is completely apart from any worth or value thats in us. While we were sinners christ died for us. Now the question is if Jesus didnt die for us because we are worth dying for then why did He die? The answer is all through scripture. So that He gets alllllllll the glory and not us! so that when we are with Him throughout all eternity we can look at Him and say You are amazing!!! Why did you love me God? Was it cause of this or that? He will say NO!! I loved you because i am good and i am worthy. We deserve Hell forever. Thats what we are aorthy of. It was for HIS good purpose and good pleasure by which He loved us and saved us. If we can just grasp this concept by getting our self righteous prideful eyes off ourselves and get them on Him then we will fall to our knees and say….. IM NOT WORTHY!!! Like Peter. And He will say…. But I AM!!!!! We are not worthy of Gods love. God doesnt love us because of our worth. Thats conditional. If thats the case then lets hope He doesnt say one day i find no more worth in you and then discard us like trash. But if its unconditional love as the bible says then He loves us even though we are worth NOTHING but deserving of Hell. Thats the God i know. Thats what Love is. If anyone thinks they are worthy of Gods love….. Please repent and change your view because u are attacking the very character of God by adding your worth to Hid love.
Anisha Hall says
I just googled “worthy of God’s love”, and yours was the first to pop up. Though I know it is a process to understand, I thank you for your words, because they are the encouragement I need to trust when I want to give up. It seems way too hard to believe that He loves me, because it just doesn’t make sense to me, but I will press on because of your testimony. I know it is kind of like handing this beautiful gift back to God and saying “here, I don’t know why you gave it to me, so I won’t take it”, but I feel as if I am being deceitful to Him by believing that I can accept His love when I don’t deserve it. I’m going to look at it differently now, thank you. I’m going to count the storms for blessings, and keep repeating to myself “He loves me anyway” when I make a mistake.
A million times, thank you!