“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” 1 John 4:16 NIV

 Do you struggle to trust God completely? I know I do! What if we truly depended on God’s love as an incontrovertible fact rather than a beautiful idea that we talk about all the time, but don’t fully believe? Wouldn’t that change the way we responded to challenges?

 If I rely on God’s love for me, I have no fear.  What do you fear? Underlying so much of my hesitation and procrastination is fear of failure. The fear of “doing it wrong” has kept me from trying so many things. It has colored my conversation. It has driven me toward perfectionism in so many ways. It’s kind of silly, but fear of failing in front of my peers almost caused me to pass out!

I was a freshman drama major at my first drama student party. What game do drama majors love to play? You guessed it! Charades!

Drama kids are just as competitive as sports kids. Our identities are on the line if we can’t perform. We crave the approval of the audience and when the audience is other drama kids, we feel pressure to validate our existence with an excellent performance. Even when we play charades. The game was announced. I was terrified.

Jesus was not first place in my life. He was important to me, but I hadn’t learned to find my identity in Him. I didn’t know how to trust and rely on His love. I was looking for validation from equally insecure students.

My turn came to step into the fire. My heart raced and I could barely breathe. Someone chuckled and said, “She’s hyperventilating!” I heard other chuckles and turned my wide eyes forward. Not one encouraging smile invited me to continue. I took my awkward turn and returned to my seat humiliated and isolated. If only I had put my trust in God’s unfailing love rather than looking for the fleeting approval of unreliable undergraduates.  

 If I rely on God’s love for me, I stop trying to control outcomes. I often find myself attempting to do everything “right” hoping for a specific outcome. “Write a perfect proposal and my supervisor will approve it.” “Pray perfectly and God will answer my prayer the way I want.” “Say the right thing and no one will be angry with me.”

It is not often that I am absolutely certain that God has spoken, but this was one of those times. My husband was in a season of internal struggle that put a strain on our relationship. I knelt by our bed, crying, and praying for Tom. I passionately prayed Scripture for him…or so I thought. “Stop.” Stunned, I opened my eyes and lifted my head. Why would God tell me to stop praying? He had my attention. His gentle whisper revealed my selfish attempts to control the situation through my prayers.  I wanted to escape rather than trust and rely on God’s love. My prayers changed after that. I asked God for grace to love Tom where he was.  I prayed my walk with Him would deepen through the darkness. God answered those prayers and eventually, the situation resolved. It didn’t happen on my timeline, but it did happen. God proved Himself faithful again. His love triumphed. It always does.

 If I rely on God's love for me, I expect Him to provide.  One area that I am constantly wrestling with is finances. Anyone else? I often feel like a failure when it comes to keeping within our budget or generating income. I wonder how many times I have said, “Finances are not our gift.”?

My approach to our finances needs to shift. Finances may not be my gift, but God’s provision is a definite gift. I can trust and rely on His love to give me wisdom in what I spend and to bring in what we need. God’s people have always had enough when they trusted Him. Remember the manna in the wilderness? They had enough even when they didn’t trust Him!

 Dear Friend, you and I are works in progress, aren’t we? We aim to rely on God’s love and respond to our challenges with confidence in that love, but we often don’t.  Still, it is what we want. Part of our progress is to have a clearer vision of what a life of faith looks like. We are encouraged when we see ourselves living it.  We often miss the mark, but we learn from each misstep.

My Friend, you are on the right track. You know God loves you and you are learning to rely on that love so that you live in Him as He lives in you. Be encouraged.

 Key Question: How will my response to challenges change if I learn to fully rely on God’s love?

A Scripture to Consider: “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” 1 John 4:16 NIV

 A YES Challenge: How has God shown His love this week? Take time each evening this week to review the ways God demonstrated His love to you. Thank Him and ask Him to help you remember that love throughout tomorrow.  

Prayer: Dear Lord, I want to live in response to Your love. I want to rely on Your love each day. I want to trust that Your love will guide and empower me. I want to remember that Your love covers me like the softest lambswool blanket. Help me to live in that comfort and security. Lord, You love me. I can count on it. I can act believing that You will do what is best for me because You love me. Amen.