Learning to Spot God’s Love

Our group sat spellbound as she recounted the deeply personal miracle that had just taken place in her life.

“God does stuff like this for me all the time,” she bubbled over. “I think it’s because He wants to show me how much He loves me.”

Heads bobbed in agreement and we all celebrated with her.

Everyone there—including myself—would tell you: this woman’s testimony was awe-provoking and faith-building.

But later, as I reflected at home, an ugly little question burrowed into my thoughts:

“Why doesn’t God do big things like that for me ‘all the time’?”

Now, I should pause and tell you: God has done some big, miraculous things for me before. And deep down I knew that He loved me, regardless of my circumstances.

But in that moment, I couldn’t help but think, “Where—today—are my big displays of affection from God?”

Maybe you’ve thought something similar before.

Well, in Hosea 11:1-4, we find an eye-opening reminder: God’s love for us is not only visible in the big and miraculous signs we long for.

If we have our eyes open, we can spot God’s love in a multitude of overlooked mercies.

You see, in the years between Egypt and the Promised Land, God demonstrated His love for Israel not only through once-in-a-lifetime miracles (like the parting of the Red Sea), but also through the everyday blessings they’d begun to take for granted.

God had called them to a new life and was patient with their failure along the way.

He taught them to walk.

He healed them.

He led them.

He fed them.

Each of these acts was a display of affection from God to Israel. And the beautiful thing is, God shows His love for us Believers in the same ways today.

The question is, will we notice?

As we learn to spot God’s displays of affection for us, it can be helpful to ask these 5 questions (based on Hosea 11:1-4):

1. How has God set me free? In Verse 1, God said: “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” (NIV)

Just as God called the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, God has called Believers out of slavery to sin and death, through Jesus Christ. When we were at our very worst, God looked on us with love and stepped in to rescue us.

So if you can recognize God’s love in nothing else, recognize it here: The life of freedom you live now was bought for you by the love of God.

2. How has God been patient with my failings? Verse 2 continues, “But the more they were called, the more they went away from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images.” (NIV)

Though the Israelites knew God’s love, they were often lured away by the counterfeit-loves the world offered them. And yet God never gave up on His people. He continued to pursue them.

This is our story, as well. How many times have we wandered away from God? Yet how many times has He drawn us back?

3. How has God prepared me for life? Verse 3 says, “It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms…”

When we were young, our mom or dad held us up and taught us to put one foot in front of the other.

And similarly, God teaches us, as His children, how to walk. He trains us, strengthens us and equips us so we can navigate the life He’s given us.

He does this in many ways: by the power of His Spirit, through the counsel of His Word and even through the people He places around us.

But note this about God’s preparation: unlike an earthly parent, who eventually steps back so we can walk on our own, God never lets go. He continues to hold us up as we walk through life, inviting our continued, childlike dependence on Him.

4. How has God healed me in ways I’ve overlooked? Verse 3 continues, “…they did not realize it was I who healed them.”

God heals His people in a multitude of ways: He can heal our bodies, but He can also heal our broken hearts. He can heal us with a word, but also through the work of others.

So looking back over your life, how has God healed you…

in ways big or small?
of pains physical, mental or spiritual?

His work may be quiet, but it transforms us.

5. How has God guided and provided for me? Verse 4 says, “I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.”

Throughout their wilderness journey, God provided for the Israelites needs and led them to the Promised Land. But they often grumbled because they didn’t like His provision or trust His path.

And we can be the same way, can’t we? We focus on what we don’t have and the destination we haven’t yet reached. But if we’re willing to see it, God has given us plenty of good in the here and now.

So how have you seen the kindness and love in God’s guidance and provision for you?

If you have an answer to even just one of these five questions, you are rich in love.

All of us, at times, can be tempted to scan our circumstances and say, “I don’t see God’s love here.” But if we will zoom into the details of our lives, we will find God’s love embedded everywhere.

And whether or not we have testimonies of the miraculous, we, too, will be able to say: “God shows me His love all the time.”

Hallelujah.

This devotion is based on one of the Scriptures from my reading plan: “God’s Love for Us.” To receive a copy of the reading plan, sign up for the email list below. Hope you’ll follow along!

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