Greatly Loved

09/22/15

Daniel 10.19 And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” – Daniel, the Prophet

Last night as I laid down to sleepy land, I prayed for a man whose situation has changed dramatically. I think what he thought was true, wasn’t; and now life has changed. As I spoke with him on the phone I could hear tension and disappointment in his voice and I thought, hmmm, things are not as they were.

I started singing in my mind, Jesus Loves Me, as I prayed for this guy. Then I realized, Jesus loves me! I mean, I knew that, but it hit me pretty hard that Jesus does indeed love me. He loves me with a love that defies logic for He sees me in a way that defies my self-belief of who I am. I see me, mostly, as a miserable wretch; that’s the furthest thing from His mind. He sees me perfect and whole and in Him.

I read in the Book of Daniel this morning and I read the above which is what the angel Gabriel said to Daniel in a vision. If only I and the man I mentioned could hear those words we might think differently. But, we have heard those words. We are greatly loved. The Bible tells us so.

Daniel was greatly loved because he was doing the Lord’s bidding in a foreign land surrounded by pagan worship and fellow Jews who’d lost their belief. You and I are no different because we are loved by the same God who greatly loved Daniel and chose to have him serve a pagan king in a land filled with all sorts of weird and vile things. The love for us is expressed in the Savior who took our sins upon Himself and went to a cross to die the death meant for us. Great Love spared us from that fate.

And great love carries us through each day. Great love doesn’t spare us from great difficulties, but great love assures us that we too are to be “strong and of good courage” in the midst of things we find less than appealing. Jesus loves us, this we know, for the Bible tells us so.

I am going to visit the man this week. I’m going to find a way to encourage him and I’ve made up my mind that I’m going to find a way to pray for him. Is he perfect and without fault in his circumstances? Probably not. Is he a child of the Great King? I believe he is, even if he doesn’t fully recognize it. But since he is, he may need to be reminded that he, in his present situation, is greatly loved by the Great King who is with him is every moment of every day for all of his life.

Father, today I am reminded of just how much You love me. The Bible told me so. Today, I am out to serve You and help others in their situations to remember that as children of God, we too, are greatly loved. We are adored. And we are helped in our circumstances to remember just how loving, and wonderful, and patient You are with us – and Your great love drives You to do so. What is man that You are mindful of him? I haven’t figured that out, but I am glad You are! Amen