Last week we looked at the story of David and his flawed response to lust and family life. There is another side to David, just like with each of us. There is the faith-filled, faith-full side that we see in the Psalms, in his rejoicing when the ark is returned to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6) and in his desire to build a temple for God. (2 Samuel 7)
David, said to be a man after God's heart, offered
vulnerable prayers like, Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know
my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in
the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23–24). He was believed that God knew him
deeply and that despite being imperfect, believed that God was still with him.
How often do we let our guilty conscious keep us from
accepting God’s love? We let the ‘shame’ messages in our past and present influence
our response to the hand of God held out in love. We think, ‘I have to get it
all together before I go to church or pray.’ That is simply not what the Bible
teaches. The Bible, over and over, says God loves us no matter what we do or
don’t do.
A few verses to help you remember how beloved you are: Paul
reminds the Romans: God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we
were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8) and a few chapters
later proclaims, I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels
nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height
nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from
the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
The great promise found in the Gospel of John: For God so
loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him
shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
The Psalmist reminds us to Give thanks to the Lord, for
he is good. His love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1)
To the Israelites Isaiah shares God’s promise, When you
pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the
rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will
not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze (Isaiah 43:2) and Though
the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you
will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed. (Isaiah 54:10)
Jeremiah comforts the Israelites in exile with the reminder,
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an
everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.' (Jeremiah 31:3)
Paul tells the Corinthians that despite an unspecified
difficulty, God told him, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is
made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my
weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Because we are, indeed, the Beloved daughters and sons of God, just like David and Bathsheba we can lean into God’s love. This is a daily (and perhaps moment by moment) action. Because we are human and fallible, it’s never a one-time thing to say, “I know I am Beloved and I’ll live in a loving fashion.” The temptations and stresses of life can cause us to slip. Like David, we can then repent and know that God’s love never fails.
Find and post a favorite affirmation from the Bible to
remind you that you are truly a beloved child of God and NOTHING can change
that. Above is one of mine.
