Anchored to an Everlasting Love
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness” (Jer. 31:3).
It is a simple truth you almost need to forget and then return to anew to fully grasp its magnitude: The all-powerful God of the universe loves you passionately and unceasingly!
Wow! Let’s reset the table here a bit and work our way back to that truth . . .
You live in a world of disorder. It is patently obvious to anyone paying attention, and in fact, if you take God at His word, you don’t even need to be paying attention to know it. “In this world you will have trouble” (Jn. 16:3). It is hard to say it more plainly. The circumstances of your world will throw you off course. You will have every reason to be disoriented and discouraged.
And yet, you are invited to be secure and awash in God’s presence and love.
First, secure. Perhaps my favorite articulation of this truth is Hebrews 6:19, which describes our hope in Jesus as “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” I love that description because it in one breath concedes the volatility of this world that requires an anchoring while conclusively determining a conquering of that volatility by way of an immovable power! You, my friend, should have hope, because your soul is anchored not to the movable things of this world, but to the rock of Jesus Christ.
Next, from that place of security, you are invited to experience the great love of God! We talk a lot in these conversations within The Equipped family about the truth that you were created for the purpose of glorifying and praising God (Is. 43:21). But that amazing truth—it is all for His glory and His glory alone—does not mean it is a one-sided relationship. Far from it! God created you for Himself, and His goodness and love are designed to chase after you all the days of your life (Pr. 23:6)! You are not simply secure; You are adored and pursued by a passionate God!
That brings us full circle. How are you—a created being loved by the Creator with a passionate and everlasting love—to make sense of a world that is in an increasing state of disorder? In many ways, the answer is that this world as you know it is not designed to make sense and be at perfect peace with your soul. You were created and designed for an eternal kingdom (Philip. 3:20-21), and the One who loves you with an everlasting love is drawing you by kindness into that security.
You should not, however, make the mistake of concluding your time here on Earth is meaningless, or that your interaction with the happenings of this temporary place are insignificant. In fact, the exact opposite is true! Your God not only loves you with an everlasting love and is actively drawing you by kindness unto Himself but has in fact also commissioned you for the very purpose of drawing others out of the disorder of the present world and into the security for which they too were created (Matt. 28:18-20).
So when you find trouble this week, remember: God loves you with an everlasting love, and as a result your soul can be anchored, firm and secure!
The following article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.