It can be easy to let past struggles shape how we view God’s character. Difficult circumstances may tempt us to believe we are forgotten or left to handle life alone. But God’s faithfulness is often revealed not by removing every hardship, but by carrying us through each one with His peace, provision, and strength.

Because of Christ, we are not abandoned or forgotten. We are deeply loved, chosen, guided, and redeemed by the Father. When we remember who God is and who we are in Him, fear loses its power and we can walk forward with confidence in His care.

Highlights:

• God’s love is something we are invited to experience, not just understand intellectually
• Past hardships can distort our view of God’s faithfulness if we lose sight of His truth
• God often meets us through difficulties by providing strength, peace, and guidance
• We are desirable, lovable, helpable, and redeemable because of God’s love
• Knowing we are loved by God changes how we face challenges and uncertainty

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Have you experienced a time when God reminded you that He saw your pain, needs, or circumstances? How does knowing that God is El Roi—the God who sees you—change the way you approach difficult seasons?

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Full Transcript Below:

God’s Heart for You Is Huge
By Kelly Balarie

Bible Reading:
“…and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].” – Ephesians 3:19 AMPC

For a second, I imagined myself as a little girl, abandoned and left alone in the rain. Shivering, it was obvious that my clothes were far too scarce for the elements. 

As I came back out of my daydreaming, I decided that a random imaginary picture summed up how I felt. It aligned with my underlying thoughts: Who will rescue me? Who will protect me? Will I be okay?

The logical side of me knew, cerebrally, the truth: “God is faithful.”
The authentic side of me, honestly said, “Can I really trust God?”

I wasn’t so sure after all I’d been through - problem after problem, health issue after health issue, car malfunction after car malfunction. It leaves one wondering: Will I always be left out to dry?

The enemy of my soul certainly wanted me to believe that this would be the case. That God won’t show up. That God will fail me. That I can’t trust God. For if the devil can discourage me with the past, he can steal from me faith in the present.

I wasn’t about to let that happen. 

My mind circled back to the truth of my hard past situations. I remembered back to how Jesus didn’t deliver me from my surgery, but how His peace carried me through surgery and recovery. I acknowledged how some lump sum of money didn’t drop on me, but how God readily provided for me with my car problems. I remembered how a problem for a family member became a confidence boost post-event.

God loves me. He wasn’t running from me; God was with me. His love was right there.

A lie was unearthed: God wants to be near me and is not far from me. He desires to help me.

Owning this truth feels somewhat self-indulgent, but it still remains true that:

I am desirable to God.  He so desires to be with me that Christ lives in me.
I am lovable to God. He so loves me, He sent His Son for me, even while I was still a sinner.
I am helpable. He so wants to equip and guide me; He has sent His Holy Spirit to lead me.

I am redeemable. If Jesus conquered sin and death, He is able to conquer my problems, His way.

These 4 -able statements make me remember I don’t serve a God who is unable. 

Instead, I serve a God who loves me and wants to help me. This changes everything. I am not a lost child, but a loved one. A cared-for daughter. 

God’s love never fails me.

“…and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].” (Eph. 3:19 AMPC)

I am not left an unlovable, left to dry orphan, but I am a loved daughter of the Most High God.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

What -able statement means the most to you? Why do you think it is hard to own these truths? What do you feel able to do or to confront when you realize that God is able to love you this way?