Praise be to you, Lord, for your great love that pours out of your heart into our lives every day.
First it flowed to us when we were your enemies: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).
Now it flows to us as your children. We are–against all reason, against all hope, against all of what we deserve–
dearly loved,
determinedly delighted in,
definitely doted on
and deeply cared for.
Your love is
powerful,
rich,
unquenchable,
unstoppable,
unending,
uninfluenced,
unilateral,
immeasurable,
great and good.
Your choosing us to be your children is a call to bask in your forgiveness, to delight in your love and to rest in your grace. It is an insistent invitation to exult in your
great, wholehearted acceptance of us,
in your joy at being our Heavenly Father,
in your persistent,
almighty,
pure,
wonderful,
goodness-filled,
grace-fueled love.
We are yours and you are glad. We come to you in selfish prayer—but you are delighted that we come at all.
We obey a bit—it gives you joy.
We doubt, disobey, disrespect you, saddening you—but you forgive, chasten, guide and love us again.
This a great, wise love, coupled with a growing revelation of how much you have forgiven us, which calls us to a deeper, wholehearted obedience–an answer of love to your Love like clouds reflected in a pond.
May we be consistent in actively loving you back, Lord!
