Who Loves You, Baby?

That’s what my Aunt Linda always says when she talks to my son or me. The appropriate response is, “You do! And who loves you, baby?”

No matter what kind of day you’re having, who can resist smiling at a question like that, or more importantly, feeling as Aunt Linda says, “10 feet tall and bullet-proof.”

Is it just me, or does anyone else out there ever feel alone? Abandoned? Overwhelmed? Let me just be real and say that sometimes I do. Maybe that’s why God spends so much of our quiet time together telling me he loves me.

I was saying to my friend Anne the other day, “How different would our lives be if we ever really grasped the extent to which God loves us individually and personally. The knowledge may be more than our mortal minds could contain!”

A few weeks ago, the Lord woke me up early in the morning to spend some time together. He often does this—I suppose so that he can have my undivided attention before I get caught up in the day’s overloaded schedule. I was tired, and not really in the mood to get up that early, but I muttered and complained my way over to the sofa in my home office where I turned on the reading lamp and tried to hold my eyes open.

I noticed as I read back through my journals with him from the past year, over and over again, I had written, “Lord, what would you have me know today?” And time and again, he had said, “I love you with an everlasting love. You are mine, and I am yours.”

“I am yours…” How precious is that: that I would not only belong to him but he to me.

Reading back through the journal, I found one morning when I changed up the question a bit. I had been preparing for a summer mission trip to Russia and was feeling particularly inadequate for the task. Coming to the end of meditating on Psalm 121 (“The LORD will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and evermore.”) I asked Him, “Lord, am I yours?”

He said the most beautiful thing: “You are mine, and I am yours forever. There is no greater love story than this. There is no fiercer battle cry. I am yours, and you are mine forever. I will not fail you. Only I am the perfect lover—one who loves unselfishly. Revel in my love. I know you are distracted. It’s okay. I don’t judge you for that. But give those cares to me. You’re carrying burdens you don’t need to carry. Let me take them for you, and you keep walking. Keep moving forward, but rest in me.”

How extravagant a love is that? How noble and pure. And yet, with all of that, how often do I get caught up in the little daily things that mean nothing and forget the depth of the One who first loved me?

Reading those words again that morning left me feeling grateful, 10 feet tall, and bulletproof. I hope it also encourages anyone who might read this.

Consider this: When we are true believers—when we are his—he knows everything about us—our strengths, weaknesses, sins, strong points, destinies, and distractions, and he still loves us—EXTRAVAGANTLY and without limit. Unlike human love, his love is not dependent on our performance or perfection, or anything we could do.

His Word continually reaffirms his love for us: He IS love. He is light and in him is no darkness. His light drives out darkness, and if he is for us, who can be against us? Nothing can separate us from the love of God. We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. He has engraved us in the palms of his hands and nothing can tear us from him, because he holds us fast. When we are weak, he is strong. He who began a good work in us is able to finish it and faithful to bring it to completion.

When you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, take a moment to adjust your focus. Picture yourself taking those things that concern you and handing them over to Jesus one by one. (He actually tells us to do this: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” [1 Peter 5:7, NIV])

There’s no limit to the amount he will carry for you. As you do this, pray that he will show you anything else that is weighing you down, and release that to him as well.

Once you’ve given it all to him, ask him to show you how much he loves you. Ask him to give you a focus on him and the things of eternal significance, and then trust him with the things you’ve released to him.

One last thing: This isn’t a one-time-does-it kind of process. Repeat it as often as you find your focus shifted back to the problem rather than the Solution—Christ.

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.” (Isaiah 26:3–4, NIV)

Who loves you, baby? God does, that’s who.