While in a cloud of doubt and negativity, John texted me the following messages:
don't believe the accuser. you are a beloved child of God
He will give you the strength to keep going
Remember that every hair on your head is numbered. Not a sparrow falls to the ground without your Heavenly Father's knowledge. u are worth much more than sparrows
As the Father has loved me so I have loved you. -Our Lord Jesus
Remember that even Mary said she was the Lord's lowly servant.
Read psalm 139. He loves you so much. don't worry about accepting it but give Him what little you can. That will be enough. I promise. Say Jesus I trust in you
Don't worry about your feelings. God sees your depth and at your depth you truly love Him.
I knew John was right; it was the devil who was trying to convince me that God couldn’t possibly love me. The Lord knows everything about whom He has created. He knows each one of us, inside and out. That wasn’t hard for me to understand and accept, but the next Truths were harder for me to hold in my heart that day: God loves each one of us more than we can imagine. He knows us most intimately, and He loves us anyway.
Many times in recent weeks, I’ve heard sermons which include the reminder that we are made in God’s image. I love that thought, in part, because I can’t completely wrap my head around the idea. I can’t imagine or explain God in all His glory, so the notion of being made in His image isn’t something I can quantify or entirely comprehend.
Reading Psalm 139 has helped me go into a deeper level of contemplation and meditation about being made in God’s image. Each one of these phrases from the Psalm captures how intimately the Lord knows us: “You understand my thoughts from afar…with all my ways you are familiar…Even before a word is on my tongue, Lord, you know it all. Behind and before you encircle me and rest your hand upon me. Such knowledge is beyond me, far too lofty for me to reach…You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.”
Reflecting on these led me to the verse which the Lord wants us to do and believe: “I praise You, God, for I am fearfully, wonderfully made.” Our loving Father wants for us to know that He has created us in His image, loves us, and wants us to embrace and give Him praise for it.
Here is a beautiful song by music missionary Danielle Rose which is based on Psalm 139:
Lord, help us today and every day to glorify You by embracing the Truth that we are made in Your image, known by You intimately, and loved by You unconditionally. Amen.
