Tuesday, May 21: “Loved in the Midst of Suffering”

1 John 4: 16b, 17: “God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.“

The old Gordon Lightfoot song asks, “Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?” The answer is, it never leaves. Often our suffering leads us to fear, because we think it is a result of God’s negative judgment of our sin. But know this: As Jesus is (i. e., loved by the Father) so are we (i. e., loved by the Father, John 14: 21; 16: 27). That’s how perfect love casts out fear of judgment (v. 18); it shows us that if you are suffering in any way, it is not as punishment, but as a way for the works of God to eventually be seen in you (John 9: 3). If you don’t see it yet, you will. Continue to trust in, receive, and practice His love.