God Is Love

“It’s okay. Just give him another kiss, Daddy.” These words came from a four-year-old boy as he watched his father trying to resuscitate his newborn brother. The baby had been born in the car on the way to the hospital and was not breathing. As the father frantically followed the instructions of the emergency operator speaking through his cell phone, the boy and his mother watched in amazement.

When the baby started breathing, the father wrapped him in his shirt and waved at the officer who was arriving on the scene. To the adults who were present, the father had performed a delicate, lifesaving task, but to the four-year-old boy, the father was simply expressing his love.

When the Israelites escaped Egyptian slavery, Moses saw that their experience was the expression of a Father’s love. The deliverance of the Israelites from a life of slavery was not just an attempt at providing temporary relief. It was the beginning of a close bond that would “establish” all God’s followers “as a holy people to Himself” (Deuteronomy 28:9). This bond would show how God would bring all His human children “everlasting joy” (Isaiah 51:11).

To many people, God seems to hold Himself aloof. In actuality, the Old Testament provides many portraits of the Father’s affection. In Hosea, God yearningly says, “When Israel was a child, I loved him. … I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by their arms. … I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love. … I stooped and fed them” (Hosea 11:1, 3, 4).

God loves “with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). He is not satisfied with token kisses and rote hugs. Instead, He wants to be closely involved in our daily lives.

Apply It:

Give a family member an extra hug or expression of love.

Dig Deeper:

Psalm 8:3–4; Psalm 18:1–2; Psalm 22:24

Key Bible Texts

And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place. (Deuteronomy 1:31 KJV)