The Love of God
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a word about love.
I can see it in his eyes, and I can hear it in his voice. My husband Ken loves me more, much more than he did in years past. About a month ago, I was not sleeping well – usually because of my paralysis, I turned once in the night, around 4:00 a.m. But for a short season there I just wasn’t able to get back to sleep. I just couldn’t get in a comfortable position, and so I would half catnap until 7:30 in the morning when my girlfriend would come to get me up. After weeks of little sleep, it began to wear on me emotionally. And that really bothered my husband. Bless his heart, he did everything he could – even purchasing a few of those My Pillows you see advertised on TV. And someone sent us buckwheat-filled pillows to try. None of it worked.
But you know, I just couldn’t succumb to hopelessness, like I was doomed to never be able to sleep comfortably again. That’s crazy. So, we put the matter to prayer, and continued to use different sheepskins… foam egg crate mattress cover… all of it, covered in prayer. One Saturday afternoon, I was calling friends of our ministry, to thank them for volunteering with Joni and Friends. My voice was bright on the phone, and I did not realize Ken was listening from the other room. After I finished my calls, he came into the kitchen with wet eyes. He looked lovingly at me and simply said, “It’s just so wonderful to hear that lilt in your voice again.” Believe me, my eyes began to fill, just hearing the tenderness of his words and seeing the love in his eyes. The love and affection between us at that moment was electric.
And where does such affection come from? The Bible says simply and powerfully, “God is love.” because love gives. And when a person gives himself, as my husband does to me, you can do no more than that. If you have given yourself, you have given everything. And that is exactly what God has done for us. In fact, listen to these lines from that old hymn:
“Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.”*
Those beautiful words were found in 1917 scrawled on the wall of a mental asylum. I don’t know who wrote it, but you can assume the person faced times of deep trouble and anguish. Nevertheless, that patient would know that the love of God would see him through many a dark night in that awful place. The lesson? Nothing is more calming, more quieting, more hopeful to the troubled mind than rehearsing how deep and wide the love of God really is. It’s something Ken and I do all the time. And it’s something you can apply to any relationship: to your spouse, or kids, maybe your parents or a friend; whatever the case, give in the spirit of the Lord Jesus. Let Him be the source of every loving word and action.
Take a moment to visit the Joni and Friends’ Facebook page today to share this program, especially those words about the love of God. And remember, love is all about giving. Because when you give yourself, you have given everything. I don’t know, it’s just something my husband Ken does every day in the love of God. Oh, and by the way, if you have a prayer request let me know on our radio page and our Joni and Friends staff will lift up your need before the Lord. God bless you today and thanks for listening to Joni and Friends.
© Joni and Friends
*Hymn: “The Love of God” by Frederick M. Lehman; Public Domain
