Encouraging Words

This morning I was lying in bed needing to get up and get the day started, but wanting to lie there snuggled under the covers with Ranger & Lucy (my cats, who were in no hurry to get up either). As I was contemplating the inner struggle as to what to do - get up or continue lying there - I asked God for a word today - something encouraging.

This morning when I checked my email - yes, I finally got up, made coffee, gave the dogs a snack, ate some breakfast, did some net surfing, blah, blah, blah - I received the following email from our daily prayer ministry:

When You Question God's Love

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38,39

What a truth to cling to when we begin to doubt God's love...because of the severity of our pain, the enormity of our loss, the incongruity of the situation. The essence of God's being is love--He never separates Himself from that.

Pray for tonight's "Merge" college service. Pray for Pastor Mike Shipp and the worship band as they lead. Pray for our church to have an effective outreach and ministry to college students.

First Baptist North Mobile exists ... To Love Christ and to Share His Love!

Now, let me say up front, I DO NOT QUESTION GOD'S LOVE FOR ME. However, it was not the title that encouraged me in the first place, but the verse and the brief devotional thought that accompanied it. Like I said, I don't doubt God's love for me, or his love for anyone else for that matter, but I do know what it's like to be in the midst of the valley and experience severity of pain, enormity of loss, and the incongruity of the situation. I do know, like many valley experiencers, what it's like to drop into the depths of despair and hurt beyond recognition.

Here's the encouraging part - no matter how much it hurts, no matter how deep the despair, no matter how far away God feels, God still loves us. None of that can separate us from God's love - even the deepest of valleys. We can never be out of the reach of His love. Why? Because He IS the essence of love, He can never do anything less than love us as only He can.

So. . .if today you need an encouraging word from God - may this be it. And may you feel His love in the most extraordinary of ways today!

Feelin' the Love,
Mike