How Do I Love Thee?
One of the most famous love poems of all time begins with these lines:
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.[i]
Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote those lines to her husband, and that is the type of love we think of as we near Valentine’s Day. But there is a far more powerful and perfect love than that—the love God Almighty has for you. It is the love of a Father, your closest friend, the lover of your soul, and your brother all rolled into one. That all-encompassing, overwhelming, spectacular, overcoming love is almost impossible to imagine and surely too great for us to fully comprehend. So let me count the ways that God loves you:
1. “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5b. God is the only person who can make this promise to you. Friends may say to us, “I will always be there for you,” but in all honesty, that is not in their power. Just as we cannot create life, we cannot avoid death and other circumstances, so no matter how much a friend or family member loves you, there will be moments when he or she cannot guarantee to be there physically or emotionally. Hebrews 13:8 says that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” There is such assurance that what you know of Him will be true today but truer tomorrow. He will always be there for you, and nothing can prevent that.
2. Everything that ever happens to you will work together for your good and God’s glory. Romans 8:28 says: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” When you pray for a certain outcome, you can pray confidently, because God is going to give you, His child, the very best result. Because He can see the future and we can’t, He sometimes gives us an outcome we do not initially understand, but we can rest assured that whatever happens, we are being used to further His Kingdom and that His desire is always to bless us.
3. You have never had a protector like the Lord. Psalm 91:4 (NIV) says: “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” The tender way He expresses through the psalmist how He wants to cover you and take care of you is unlike any covering you have ever had. He says unequivocally that if you are looking around for a refuge, you will find it in Him. No ifs, ands, or buts. He’s got you. His protection is the beautiful blend of the strength of a shield and rampart and the tenderness of feathers. What might you need refuge from Him today? Debt? Loneliness? Unkindness? Illness? He says you will find refuge in Him.
4. He will represent you more effectively than you can represent yourself in any situation. Isaiah 42:10 says: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God; and I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” The right hand is the hand of His favor. It is the strong hand. He offers to hold you up in any situation. As a single woman almost all of my life, I have had to enter all kinds of situations by myself. I remember going to my real estate closing on my first house when I was 23. A relative was supposed to go but canceled minutes before the meeting. I was terrified walking into that office by myself to sign a contract for what seemed like all the money in the world to me. What I do now when I am entering situations like that is to think, “Other women walk into this office with their husbands. I am walking in with the God of the universe by my side.” I immediately feel His power and confidence covering me when I have none of my own. How great is that? It dispels every fear, knowing He is upholding me and my interests.
5. You are His daughter and His heir. Psalm 5:10 says: “For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.” He owns EVERYTHING, and you are His child. We sometimes walk around feeling poor, but we are not. Our Father is generous and wants to take care of our every need.
6. But our Father is not just talking about our physical needs. Matthew 16:19 says: I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Be sure you are binding eternal things of great value.
7. He takes joy in you- yes, you! Even if you are a sinner who has never accepted His offer of salvation, if you accept Him today, He will be filled with joy over you. Luke 15:7 says: “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” It is hard for me to believe that the magnificent creator of the heavens and seas looks at me and it brings Him joy, but it does. He sees us so differently than how we see ourselves, through the miracle of Jesus’ blood that changed us forever.
8. One day, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” John 1:51. One day He will come and get you and take you to eternal life in Heaven, a place of fantastic beauty and no pain or illness forever. This is an assurance when you say “yes” to being His child.
9. God will not change on you. James 1:17-18 (NIV) says: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” God will not tell you something today and decide not to be there for you years from now. He won’t change the rules on you the way humans do, even good people. He is constant and faithful and always by your side—forever!
10. God can give you peace no matter your circumstances. Philippians 4:7 (NIV) says, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. “
These are just ten of the ways God has said I love you in His own words, the Word of God. Consider these verses your Valentine from Him. He means every word, and He means them for you.
[i] Sonnets from the Portuguese 43: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.