Day 17 - One Love
- Pastor b.Side
- Feb 17
- 3 min read
“Blessed [is] the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people…” - Luke 1:68
The concept of God’s “love” is hard for many people to grasp. Why? Because many try to understand and relate to God’s love based on their circumstances. Others try to connect with God’s love through feelings and personal experiences. However, this is not the way the Bible guides us to approach it. So, how should we understand God’s love? We are meant to trust in the testimony of scripture and believe it to be true. God wants us to examine His character, His promises, and His actions to fulfill them, so we can see how His love goes beyond our ability to fully comprehend.
“Blessed [is] the Lord God of Israel…”
To understand God’s love, we need to see how God identifies Himself as its source. He’s “the Lord God of Israel.” He’s the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He’s the God of the Bible. Many people are confused about love because they don’t seek THIS God. They seek something different and learn about false versions of love in the process. God isn’t the one to blame here. God makes it clear that there is only one God, and He’s the God of Israel.
Now connect that thought to the full counsel of God’s Word. The God of the universe identifies Himself as the God of Israel. In Deuteronomy 7:7, God says He chose Israel as His “special treasure” because He loves them. This is the same nation that He calls “stiff-necked.” This is the same nation He called unfaithful and adulterous. This is the same nation whose spiritual leaders He called “a brood of vipers.” This is the same nation that God judged and destroyed repeatedly throughout history because of their disobedience and evil practices.
Still, God referred to Himself as the God of Israel. All of Israel’s sins couldn’t change God’s perspective or purpose for them. Who can love like that? Who knowingly chooses to align with unfaithful, rebellious, stubborn, self-righteous people and stays unchanged in character and purpose?
“He has visited and redeemed His people…”
Then, God physically demonstrated His love to those very people. Luke 1:68 shows a man named Zacharias filled with the Holy Spirit prophesying about God. Despite the spiritual condition of Israel, God visited His people by taking on flesh, as He promised centuries before. Despite the spiritual condition of Israel, the God of Israel was merciful and endured long with His people to accomplish the required work of redeeming them from the eternal consequences of their sin. Israel’s failures are well-documented in scripture, so are God’s judgments against them. Yet, God remained faithful to His Word, dwelled with His people, and performed incredible miracles to heal them physically, mentally, and spiritually. The Father made the promise. The Holy Spirit reminded the people of it. Jesus fulfilled it.
Prayer for today
Our heavenly Father, help us understand that knowing Your love requires us to trust that these things are true about You. You intentionally choose the worst to redeem us from the eternal consequences of sin, death, and hell by connecting with us through Jesus. This is true regardless of how we feel, our perception of our circumstances, or our inability to understand it. Help us to connect with You through truth rather than sensation. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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