How Deep the Father's Love For Us

January in Maine is long and cold; Christmas is over, and my house feels empty again. My college-age daughters have returned to school in another state, and I miss them. I struggle to settle into a routine after the holiday excitement of having a full house and incessant activity.

As I sat down to work on one of these January mornings, my eyes lingered on a photo that sits on my desk—my favorite picture of our daughters.  When I look at it, it makes my heart swell with love and affection, and I think, “How I love these girls!”  

Mothers have a fierce love for their children.  We deeply love our children despite their obvious imperfections, loudness, and annoying habits; nothing changes our loyal love for them. Words fail to adequately express the intensity of this love.

Reflecting on my love for my girls points me to how God gives us an earthly illustration of His deep love for us.  It made me wonder if we even begin to grasp the kind of love that our heavenly Father has for us. 

LOVE THAT IS DEEP

The Bible repeatedly declares God’s incredible love for His children, and we can see this love described throughout Scripture.  One of my favorites is Psalm 103:11:

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him.”

The Hebrew word for “steadfast love” in this verse is hesed. Hesed is a challenging word to translate into English, and theologians have written extensively on this to help us understand its meaning. But perhaps one of the best ways to describe hesed is as God’s covenantal love toward His people. It encompasses God’s mercy, goodness, faithfulness, kindness, loyalty, and steadfastness.   To help us understand its full implications, we can look at how this word is used throughout the Old Testament (Exodus 34:6-7; Jeremiah 31:3; Micah 6:8).  As we do this, we see that it is a pregnant word that conveys God’s relentless, loyal love toward His people.

This is like my love for my children.  It is unwavering.  Even if they are disobedient and rebellious, I never disown my kids.  I pursue them with love even when they sin against me.  Likewise, hesed is a picture of God’s steadfast love for us.

We also see God’s amazing love declared throughout the New Testament.  The Apostle John wrote about this in 1 John 3:1. He was called “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 21:20).  He had firsthand experience of God’s love through his relationship with Jesus.  

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us that we should be called the children of God: and so we are.”

“See” in this verse is a remark of exclamation.  The apostle John writes this to his beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, in order to help them know the Father’s love for them and the magnificent blessing of being part of the family of God.   One translation of this verse says that the Father’s love has been “lavished on us.”  Similarly, my love for my children compels me to express it with lavish gifts and acts of service.

LOVE THAT MAKES US SING

When we read about God’s love for us in His Word, his Holy Spirit teaches us who he is and opens our eyes so that we can respond to Him through songs of praise. Essentially, theology leads to doxology.   And in my own life, as I meditated on the truth of God’s love for us that January morning, I recalled the lyrics of a worship song written by Stuart Townend, “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us.” As I hummed the tune, a fuller sense of its meaning flooded my mind:

“How deep the Father’s love for us,

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give his only Son

To make a wretch His treasure.”

Our heavenly Father’s love is so vast that He sent His Son to die for us.   He died for us even though our love for him fails at times.  He makes wretches like us His treasure. We are “prone to wander and prone to leave the God we love,” to quote another beloved hymn. Like January in Maine, our love for Him can grow cold.  Yet God never withdraws his covenantal love from His children (Isaiah 54:10).  This knowledge of who God is should make our hearts sing with adoration and wonder.

LOVE THAT CHANGES US

A love this immense is powerful and life changing. So how does the deep love of God change us?

1. God’s love causes us to worship Him.  

Knowledge of God’s love for us should not turn our eyes inward, making much of ourselves or thinking about how special we are. Instead, the revelation of hesed produces humility, wonder, and worship of a God who displays such perfect love.  Our only boast is in Him. As the last verse of “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” says,

“I will not boast in anything,

No gifts, no power, no wisdom,

But I will boast in Jesus Christ,

His death and resurrection.”

2. God’s love fuels us to love others. 

Belief in God’s deep love for us fills our hearts and empowers us to love others in the same way He has loved us. (Romans 5:5; 1 John 4:11) In Christ, we can freely love and serve others even if we are mistreated by them.  Since we know that our Father’s love will never be removed from us, we have nothing to lose and nothing to prove—our identity as His child is secure because of hesed. 

Think of the dearest person in your life, the one you love the most.  Thank God for that earthly example that offers a glimpse of His steadfast love for you. Then worship him and love others, fueled by the security of his deep love.