I am one week away from leaving on this incredible journey! I have already been so blessed beyond belief during this adventure! Talking with my fellow racers and my close friends here at home, I have been confronted with the same question. “But I don’t FEEL God’s love in my life. Why can’t I FEEL Him?” And my heart has just broken for them, and I just desire for them to know and understand! Because I do NOT want to be a missionary because I believe that other people around the world don’t understand anything about God and they need me to come and tell them! No I believe that many people around the world understand God way MORE than I do! No I want to be a missionary because I want to LOVE those people around the world as God has loved me first! Because God’s love has overwelmed me and filled me up so much that I am overflowing and if I don’t share his love with everyone around the world I am going to explode!!
So I want to encourage my friends who can’t feel God’s love in their life. Its okay and we all have been there! But I need you to know and understand that God’s love is REAL! But it is probably not what you think. So often we are stuck in the mind set that we can only feel God’s love as a giant wave over us. That we can only feel his love in big and mighty powerful ways that shake our whole body, literally! But that is so not true!
In 1 Kings 19 it tells the story of Elijah and his experience with God. Elijah was fleeing for his life and hiding. God found him and challenged him to look upon Him. So Elijah steps out onto the mountain and a great strong wind passing by but “the Lord was not in the wind.” And then there was an earthquake, but “The Lord was not in the earthquake.” Then 1 Kings 19:12-13 says this, “After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a Gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.”
God asked Elijah to meet Him on the mountain, so Elijah went out and expected to find him in these incredible ways! But the wind came and God wasn’t there. Then the earthquake came, but God still wasn’t there. Then the fire came but God wasn’t there either. So Elijah is curious and probably frustrated. Where is God? But softly, there is a gentle whisper and Elijah knows! He knows that God has shown up and he is ashamed to show his face so he hides. Wow, how often do we do that? how often do we wait for God in the big storms and expect him to show up in big ways, and when he doesn’t we feel lost and abandoned, and we don’t take the time to stop and listen for the gentle whisper!
God’s love is all around us! his love is everywhere, and we don’t take the time to see it. We are meant to live in his love and leak it from our bodies!! It is meant to over take us so that we Shine and spread His love like a disease!!
John 15:9-11 “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love; just as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that MY JOY may be in you, and that your JOY may be made full.”
Wow! Jesus cares so much about me that he wants me to ABIDE in him! I love that word, ABIDE! Its like resting in Jesus love, sitting in it, allowing it to wrap around you and take over you! Oh that we all may abide in his love!
1 John 4:15-17 “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. and we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. GOD IS LOVE, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. By this, LOVE IS PERFECTED with us, that we may have confidence in the day of Judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.”
GOD IS LOVE and we must abide in this love so that we can feel the JOY that Jesus offers to us! So, brothers and sisters, if you are struggling with feeling God’s love this is what I suggest you do. STOP. SIT. LISTEN. because God speaks in whispers, and he asks us to sit, rest, and abide in him! It is hard to do, but let me tell you, it feels pretty darn good once you do! God Bless!
