“‘Yet even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.’ Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and ABOUNDING in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.” (Joel 2:12-13)
Even in our darkest hours, in the midst of crisis, when we think there is no way out, God’s Love is ABOUNDING! At our weakest moment, we can turn to God because He is the only one who has kept His promise to love us unconditionally.
It’s been many years since Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana. Occasionally I will still hear news stories of hopelessness and blame, and I change the channel, wishing for a move beyond the past. It may be part of the reality, but it’s not the absolute. As it says in Joel, God’s ABOUNDING LOVE relents…even over disaster.
We have all survived disaster, whether it is on a national or personal level. Whether we are thriving in our environment or struggling to get by, God’s LOVE ABOUNDS! Jesus Christ is the reason that God’s LOVE ABOUNDS, because through Him, disaster is only temporary and contained in this earthly life. He took on all the pain and suffering, so that we may live in peace eternally. Of course, we will still have to endure disaster and struggle because of the presence of sin. But as Joel shares, God’s LOVE remains through it all because of the promise and fulfillment of a SAVIOR. May your LOVE ABOUND for others, as God’s LOVE ABOUNDS for you!
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for sharing your abounding love with us, your children. Thank you for your love, which overflows in our lives! Remind us that not everyone knows of your steadfast love, and guide us to share it with the hopeless and lost souls, so that they may find their hope in heavenly things, not this earthly life.
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