Oh, How He Loves Us - What She Said Part 14 - Week 3 Day 1

TODAY'S TREASURE

Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by Me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.

Isaiah 46:3-4

Transcript

Oh, How He Loves Us

Sharon Betters

Today’s Treasure

"Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by Me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save."

Isaiah 46:3-4

Dear Friends,

Chuck and I often look at each other, shake our heads, and ask, “How did we get to live this long to have great-grandchildren? And how blessed are we that they are learning we delight in them?” With the birth of each of our children, our hearts grew bigger. Then came grandchildren, and we turned into people we did not recognize. And then the great-grandchildren started arriving, and we started acting like we had never seen a child before. No matter how tiny their accomplishment (like waving bye-bye or saying our names, or pointing to their noses...), we clap and celebrate each moment! Each moment with these precious children reminds us of the love that started with the birth of our first child, Heidi. 

Have you noticed how often the Lord compares His love for us to the ways a mother loves her child? Our Father’s love far surpasses what we describe as “loving all the way to the moon – and back”!

This week, guest writer Annalisa Smith uses the mundane moments of mothering to remind us of how God loves each of His children, and even if you do not have children or grandchildren, you will be encouraged with the reminders of His passionate and protective love that never leaves us. Some of these devotions are from Annalisa’s book, Nurtured: God’s Tender Care for New and Expectant Mothers, published by PCA-CDM. 

In Monday’s devotional, Annalisa writes:

“In this passage, God is telling His people that there’s something totally different about Him than the gods of other nations—He does the carrying. The idols Israel went to in order to get relief from their burdens became burdens they had to “shoulder” themselves. But God promises He can carry both them and their burdens. He is a burden-bearing God. And while my to-do list never seems to reach an end, God accomplishes all His purposes.

What does it look like to ask for God’s help? When my little girl gets tired or wants to connect, she puts her little wrists together with her hands splayed out and raises them up to me. She doesn’t have the words for it yet, but I know she’s asking, “Up, please!”

What does God’s help look like? If my little girl were tired and asking to be held, of course, I would pick her up with her little doll and carry them. I wouldn’t give her more things to carry. She would likely still be tired and have her arms full of dolls, but at the same time, she would be able to rest against me. She could depend on me. Often, in our life situations, we aren’t able to just “put down” our burden, and we will likely still have full arms and tired shoulders. But coming to God for help means I know I’m not alone, that it doesn’t all depend on me, and that there’s Someone bigger and stronger I can rely on while others are relying on me. The same One who made me and has carried me all along is carrying me now. His arms are there for us—past, present, and future.

"Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by Me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save." Isaiah 46:3-4

We will never outgrow our need to be carried by our burden-bearing God. And we, along with all the burdens we carry, will never be too heavy for His shoulders.”

Our great-granddaughter, Charlotte, holds out her arms, looks into my eyes, and says, “Up, up”. Even if she is already “up” in her daddy’s arms, we know she wants me to take her. Oh, my heart. The joy I feel when those arms reach for me. Annalisa reminds me that my joy pales in comparison to the joy my heavenly Father has in taking me in His arms as I reach for Him.

Friends, allow Annalisa to take you deeper into God’s heart in the mundane moments of your life this week. When my great granddaughter reaches for me, what appears mundane to others is majestic to this Great Grammy’s heart. Annalisa shows us how God’s love transforms those mundane moments into majestic reminders that when you know and love Jesus, our Father who “…..carried you before your birth, carried you from the womb and…..(for those older women like me), even in your old age and to gray hairs, He will carry you – He will carry me.” Oh, friends, listen to these words:

"I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save." Isaiah 46:3-4

Treasured by Him,

Sharon

LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT

I’m so grateful for Annalisa’s generosity in sharing some of the devotions from her book, Nurtured: God’s Tender Care for New and Expectant Mothers, published by PCA-CDM. This 9-week Bible study connects expectant and new mothers to scriptural passages to reveal the One whose tender love strengthens them for the beautiful task He has given them. And while I am not expecting, or a new mother, her words help turn my heart toward Jesus. I encourage you to check out this book for personal or group study. Questions in this group study are meant to have verbal answers, allowing for no written preparation and a mostly hands-free experience. It’s a Bible study meant for the crazy-full days of baby-juggling life. Moms are encouraged to come just as they are—well-rested or bleary-eyed, encouraged or overwhelmed. 

PRAYER 

Father, oh how You love us. We cannot come up with enough words to describe Your love. Thank You for showing us Your love is greater than even the deepest, greatest love we have for another. May such a picture of Your love cover and transform us as we go about the mundane tasks of everyday life.