Fully Known and Fully Loved

These past 12 days have been difficult. As is always the case whenever I am faced with an illness that drags out longer than a couple of days, I find myself becoming increasingly frustrated at my inability to accomplish my goals. This leads to stress and an overwhelming sense of miserableness. And yes, I know it’s wrong to feel this way, but I find it so difficult to pull myself up out of my pit of despair and change my perspective. I quote verses to myself and I try to encourage myself in the Word of God. I try to recall the precious promises of God and yet the burden of darkness envelopes me and threatens to overwhelm me.

As I lay in bed, feeling many emotions, anger, frustration, sadness, despair, just to name a few, I cried out to God, asking for answers, begging for comfort and peace.

In one of my more lucid moments, which were few and far between, I reached for my lesson notes for an upcoming ladies conference on the subject of our identity in Christ.

I began to read over the points that I hope to share with the ladies next month, and as I read, there began to grow a glimmer of hope, a small beam of light piercing the gloom and breaking through the darkness.

The characteristics of my God-given identity helped to dispel the fear that surrounded me. Words like: forgiven, chosen, saved, redeemed, justified, adopted.

Reading further down the page I was brought to a stop by 2 words. Known and loved. Fully known and fully loved.

Have you ever stopped to really think about the fact that you are known by God and you are loved by God?

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his.

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

God knows us fully and he loves us. He knows us intimately and yet he still loves us unconditionally.

God loves us despite all our faults and failings.

Laying there, sick and weak and miserable, God loved me. He chose to love me. He chose to look past my feeble faith and my lack of trust in him.

God knows us inside and out. He knows every single thing about us. He knows every wicked thought that passes through our minds. He knows when we are doubting him and yet he still loves us.

Let me explain it like this.

If we had an acquaintance or family member that knew us, I mean really knew us, but didn’t love us, we would fear not being accepted for who we were because of what the person knows about us. We would live with the fear that they wouldn’t accept us because they know so much about us that they would withhold their love.

On the other hand, if we had a friend that loved us but didn’t really know us, they hadn’t taken the time to get to know us personally on a deeper level, then we would fear that if the person really knew who we were they wouldn’t love us. We would be fearful of what getting to know us would do to their love for us.

And here is what really blows my mind and has me standing in awe of God.

God knows us fully, he knows every little thing about us. The Bible tells us that he knew us before we were even formed in our mothers belly. He knows all about us and yet, he loves us! Unconditionally.

Psalm 139:1 LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.

Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

How is that even possible? How could a righteous, holy and perfect God, love a worthless, despicable sinner like me, knowing what he does about me? And yet, he does.

John 10:14-15   I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

And he not only loves you and me, but he loved us enough to die for us and forgive the sins we have committed and ever will commit. He lay down his life for us.

So, despite our failings, and despite the fact that we often feel worthless and overlooked and we doubt God’s goodness to us, even though we know full well his blessings overflow with abundant supply, despite all of what we see as lack on our part, he still loves us. We are fully known and fully loved.

God blesses us daily. Don’t fall into the trap of letting your failures define you. God has a purpose for you and as long as you’re still breathing, you have a job to do. You are uniquely called, and you are divinely equipped.

A few days of sickness is not enough for me to throw the towel in and wallow in a pit of despair. I still have breath in my lungs, don’t I? Then, I need to raise my arms to Jesus and let him pull me up and set my feet upon a rock. His rock. His stedfastness. His strength. 

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 - And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

I don’t know who, besides myself, needs this encouragement today, but take heart and believe with all your heart that you are known and loved. God can’t love you any more than he does already, and he can’t love you any less.

You are fully, totally, entirely, completely, wholly, perfectly, intimately, known and loved by the God of the universe, the creator of heaven and earth, the Saviour of the world!

Jeremiah 31:3 - The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

Take a moment to let that sink in, and then spend some time in praise, letting your song of joy bubble up from down deep in your heart, overflowing and spilling over until it runs like a flood through every part of your being and those around you are swept along in its life-giving flow.

Psalm 146:1-2

 Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.