Reminder

"Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. Within her citadels God has made Himself known as a fortress." Psalm 48:1-3 ESV 

As a boy, I grew up in rural eastern Arkansas. The only ocean I had ever seen was on TV or from a picture in a magazine so to say my idea of the ocean was so small that the first time I saw the Gulf of Mexico when I was 13 that I hardly could understand exactly how big it really was. But as I have grown older I have come to understand that the vastness of the ocean can't really be understood until it is seen first hand. There is nothing like seeing the face of a child that has just seen the ocean for the first time. The awe and the wonder in their eyes is a sight to behold and such is it when we catch a glimpse of God's love for the first time. 

God's love for us passes all understanding. It isn't until you truly experience it that you start to understand because before you receive it I don't believe anyone can accurately explain it. There is an old hymn I have sang more than once, "O the deep, deep love of Jesus" and I think it somewhat shows us how vast the love of God is for us: 

Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus,

vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!

Rolling as a mighty ocean

in its fullness over me!

Underneath me, all around me,

is the current of thy love -

leading onward, leading homeward,

to that glorious rest above!

Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus -

spread his praise from shore to shore!

How he loves us, ever loves us,

changes never, nevermore!

How he watches o'er his loved ones,

died to call them all his own;

how for them he's interceding,

watching o'er them from the throne!

Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus,

love of every love the best!

'Tis an ocean vast of blessing,

'tis a haven sweet of rest!

Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus -

'tis heaven of heavens to me;

and it lifts me up to glory,

for it lifts me up to thee!

Behind the love of God lies His omniscience, which is His ability to know everything at all times. Omniscience is a quality that God possesses alone. He has infinite knowledge and an awareness that we could never have. At all times, even when you're in the midst of a storm, you can realize that He knows, loves, watches over, understands, and ultimately has a purpose for what you are facing right at that very moment. 

No matter what comes my way, no matter how tempted I become towards depression and despair, I can never ever forget that God's love for me can never run out. His love is beyond the counting and there is no way in our humanness to quantify it. His love is beyond our comprehension. So the next time you feel like you are at the end of your rope and you can't go on, stop listening to the enemy and start remembering whom it is that you belong to. Start to fight back against the enemy with the truth that God's love is greater than any problem, greater than any obstacle, and simply greater than him and his minions. I am going to close with a quote that I read from the book called  "Chase The Lion" by Mark Batterson:

"The Bible says the devil prowls around like a roaring lion. The key word is "like." He's a poser, and his bark is worse than his bite. Refuse to believe his lies or to cower to his intimidation. When he reminds you of your past, remind him of his future. Fight back with words of faith. Fight back with songs of praise."