Does God Really Love Me?

Does God really love me? Yes, He really does. God loves you with a deep, abiding love. He loves you more than you will ever know or possibly imagine.

Check out John 3:16, the most recognized Bible verse: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Did you catch that? For God so LOVED the world . . .

Still not sure?

Perhaps you’re not wrestling with the reality of God’s love for you, but wondering how God can love you. After all, if He really knew your heart or saw all of those things you’ve done, then He would turn away just like the others.

Perhaps you’ve been hurt. Life has not turned out the way you expected or planned and your heart has been shattered to pieces, whether by your choice or the choices of others.

Because if God truly loved us, there wouldn’t be any pain, right? If He truly loved us, we would have whatever we want whenever we want. The right childhood. The right life. All we ever want. Just like our kids want from us.

And that works well for them, doesn’t it?

Uh, ahem, yeah. That didn’t work for my kids, either.

And yet that’s often the exact expectation we place on God, isn’t it?

Honestly? If we were sitting together over coffee I would pull my cup close, lean in and say with tongue firmly planted in cheek: If God loves me, I’ll be happy. If God loves me, I’ll find the man of my dreams. If God loves me, no one I know will ever die or have cancer or be hurt. 

Because if my heart gets broken, then God doesn’t love me.

Oh sweet one, if your heart gets broken…He does still love you. (Psalm 56:8)

He loves you because His heart has been broken as well. (Matthew 9:36) From the time sin first entered the world, every action God has taken, every plan He has designed, every step He has made has been motivated by love for you.

Pause a moment. Allow that last sentence to sink in.

Everything God has done since time began has been motivated by His love for you.

Everything God has done since time began has been motivated by His love for you, to draw you near to him. Not our definition of love—the happily-ever-after-no-sorrow-no-pain-I-get-all-I-want kind.

No. This kind of love peers into the darkest recesses of our soul, the hidden places where all our ugliness hides. The jealousy. The anger. The lies. The secrets. The bitterness. The unspoken pain.

He looks at each corner, examines each broken piece of our heart and whispers over us…I love you. (Psalm 34:18)

When the tears fall and you wonder why your child just died or your wife just walked out, He leans in closer…I love you. (Psalm 56:8)

When you’ve rejected Him, ignored His word and His very presence, He waits with arms open wide, longing for you to return so He can declare over you…I love you. (Zephaniah 3:17)

With every pound of the nails into Jesus’ broken body He whispered…I love you. (Romans 5:8)

As God poured out the wrath we deserve upon His innocent Son, the Spotless Lamb, he shouted…I love you. (John 3:16)

That beautiful sunset? I love you.

That gift of life? I love you.

The peace that fills your being even when all seems lost? I love you.

The gift of perseverance? I love you.

God’s love is not about giving us all that we want. He’s giving us Himself, drawing us near in a personal and intimate relationship with Him. Even when we hurt. Even when we sin. Even when we do things that appear absolutely unforgivable, He loves us. (Numbers 14:19)

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

(Romans 5:8, NIV)

What prevents you from fully believing God really does love you?