God Will Show You the Wonders of His Great Love - The Crosswalk Devotional - February 5

God Will Show You the Wonders of His Great Love
By Whitney Hopler

Bible Reading:
“Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.” – Psalm 17:7, NIV

At George Mason University where I work, I promote an initiative my colleagues and I lead called “Mason Chooses Kindness.” It encourages students and everyone in our university community to intentionally be kind to each other. Often, I’m encouraged by stories of how the choice to focus on kindness helps people in the unkind world we live in. Kindness is a form of love, which the world urgently needs. 

This fallen world can be a place where you feel like you have foes. People can be mean to you. You can go through the stress of conflict in your family, workplace, and elsewhere. Online, divisive social media posts can make you feel like you have enemies around you. But the good news is that God’s love is always available to you. It’s a constant source of hope and refuge in this broken world. 

In Psalm 17:7, the psalmist cries out to God, asking to see the wonders of his great love. This points out that God’s love is not ordinary. It’s a wondrous force that’s awe-inspiring! God is the ultimate source of all love you will ever experience from people, and since God is love at his core, God loves you purely – completely and unconditionally.

God’s love is also wonderful because it’s faithful. It’s a love that keeps pursuing you, no matter what. This extraordinary love is something you can rely on with confidence in any situation. 

How can you experience the wonders of God’s love in this world that can be so unloving? Here are some key ways to do so: 

• Take refuge in God by connecting with God’s constant presence with you and communicating with God in prayer and meditation. When you take refuge in God, God’s love becomes your shield against the arrows of hatred, fear, and doubt. In times of loneliness or discouragement, seek God’s presence as a safe harbor. Quiet your heart, read God’s Word, and ask him to remind you of his complete and unconditional love for you. You’ll begin to see how God’s Holy Spirit comforts and uplifts you. 
• Look for the wonder of God’s love in your daily life. God reveals glimpses of his love in awe-inspiring ways every day. But you may miss many of those glimpses if you aren’t intentionally looking for God’s wonder every day. It might be through the kindness of a friend, the beauty of a sunset, or the peace that comes into your heart and mind during worship. Expect God to show you his love in wonderful ways regularly, and be paying attention so you don’t miss what God shows you. 
• Love others as God loves you. One of the most powerful ways to experience God’s love is by sharing it. This is a choice, since love is an action, not just a feeling. When you choose to love others – even those who are difficult or unkind – God sends his love flowing through your life in wonderful ways. 
• Rest in God’s salvation. Psalm 17:7 describes how God saves people “by your right hand.” This points to God’s strength and authority. Jesus, seated at the right hand of the Father, is your wonderful Savior. You can be confident that through your relationship with Jesus, you are eternally secure. No earthly foe – either a person or a circumstance – can ever take away God’s love for you. 

Though the world around you can be unloving, God’s love is constant. It’s the foundation of God’s promises and the reason you can hope for eternal life. So, whenever you feel the pain of this fallen world’s lack of love, you can ask God to: “Show me the wonders of your great love.” In God’s wonderful love, you can find refuge anytime and anywhere you need it! 

Intersecting Faith & Life:

As you consider the wonders of God’s great love, reflect on these questions:

• What are a few blessings in your life right now that reveal God’s love to you? How can you thank God for them, and celebrate them?
• How can taking refuge in God help you manage difficult relationships or challenging situations well?
• How can you share God’s love with others – especially those who may be hard to love?
• When you feel distant from God’s love, what practices can help you reconnect with God and discover God’s wonders in fresh ways? 

Further Reading:
1 John 3:1
Psalm 36:7
Ephesians 3:18-19
Romans 8:38-39
Zephaniah 3:17

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Natali_Mis 

Whitney Hopler helps people discover God's wonder and experience awe. She is the author of several books, including the nonfiction books Wake Up to Wonder and Wonder Through the Year: A Daily Devotional for Every Year, and the young adult novel Dream Factory. Whitney has served as an editor at leading media organizations, including Crosswalk.com, The Salvation Army USA’s national publications, and Dotdash.com (where she produced a popular channel on angels and miracles). She currently leads the communications work at George Mason University’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. Connect with Whitney on her website at www.whitneyhopler.com, on Facebook, and on  X/Twitter.

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