Have you ever tried to put into words why you love God? Sometimes words fail and we realize how limited we are by words. I try to imagine what it would be like to stand before God and feel His love but because I have such a limited imagination I can’t.

What I do know is the love He has for me. What I have felt powerfully is His love wrapping me in warmth. What I have heard deep within is His voice telling me not to fear that He is here and that He loves me.

There is such comfort in God’s presence. See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! 1 John 3:1. We are family. God our Father, Jesus our elder Brother and Savior, Holy Spirit our comforter and teacher. 1 John tells us about this great love God has for us from John who was with Jesus and who was given the tremendous honor of caring for His mother when He was on the Cross.

Do you long for family that loves you? Do you long to live in a family that understands what love is? Do you long for peace, comfort, meaning? Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. 1 John 2:7-8. The true light is already shining. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5.

The true light…God’s love…is already shining. We live in a world that is broken by sin. There is darkness and anyone who ever felt alone or depressed or afraid knows that darkness. God is light and like a candle illuminating the darkness with something so beautiful and warm, His love will illuminate your heart and give you peace. His love calls to you and to me.

What I am learning from God is that He wants a personal relationship with me where I can grow in the comfort and strength of His love for me and for you. A relationship where we can laugh and cry together, talk about my concerns and fears, where I receive forgiveness and understanding. A place of hope and peace and love. A place where His love envelops me and gives me strength and hope. I pray that for you…how can I not?