No matter how devout a Christian you are, it doesn’t matter if you’re “Holy Ghost filled and fire baptized”, or how much you read and know the Bible, there will be times that you will struggle to believe in God’s love!!
When any of us go through a difficult time; it could be a time of grief due to the loss of a loved one, it may be the breakup of a long time friendship, it could be the loss of a job, a financial crisis, it could be having to make a major decision that could impact the status quo of your life, or it could be a worldwide pandemic; there a feeling that that you can’t quite explain. We may call it stress, anxiety, or worry. It can be so subtle that we may not even realize how it’s affecting us. The problem may just be that we are starting to doubt that God really loves us.
Doubt is a very unpopular word in the Christian community. Many Christians are afraid to admit any form of doubt because they feel guilty for having those thoughts, or they’re afraid of the judgment of other Christians. When doubt surfaces, many consider it as a lack of faith, not really believing God and His Word, so many struggle silently. Through their silent struggle, they can become stagnant in their walk with God.
I must admit that I have those periods of doubt at times, when things don’t go the way that I would like to see them go. It’s at these times, when it seems that all hell is breaking loose in your life, that we need to be reminded that God does love you.
Here are 9 comforting characteristics of God that serve as reminders of who He is and that He loves you and desires to be in the lives of all His children.
1.Approachable
Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Matthew 11:28-30 NIV “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
God is approachable. Because Jesus died for us, and the veil was torn, we can go directly to God for ourselves anytime. God invites us into His presence. We are not only encouraged to come to our Savior, but we are also offered the precious gifts of grace and mercy for approaching Him.
2.Caring
1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
God cares deeply about us. God not only desires our praise, thanksgiving, and worship, He also wants our worries and our cares. God welcomes your greatest fears and sources of anxiety, and He wants all of them. Not some of them, but all of them. That’s comforting supernatural caring!
3. Loving
1 John 4:7-10 NIV Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
You hear this all the time but it’s worth repeating God is not just loving; He is love.
4. Forgiving
Isaiah 43:25 NIV “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.
God is forgiving. He does not hold grudges. He not only forgives but He will never think of them again. Yes, we may have to suffer the natural consequences of our sins, at times, God does not hold our sins against us. All He asks is that we confess our sins.
1 John 1:9-10 NIV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
Since He forgives us He also asks that we forgive others.
Matthew 6:12 NIV And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
5. Compassionate, Faithful, and Merciful (Characteristic combo)
Psalms 86:15 NLT But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. (Emphasis mine)
Lamentations 3:22-23 NKJV Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. (Emphasis mine)
Compassionate, faithful, and merciful clearly highlight God's comforting characteristics towards His children.
When any of us go through a difficult time; it could be a time of grief due to the loss of a loved one, it may be the breakup of a long time friendship, it could be the loss of a job, a financial crisis, it could be having to make a major decision that could impact the status quo of your life, or it could be a worldwide pandemic; there a feeling that that you can’t quite explain. We may call it stress, anxiety, or worry. It can be so subtle that we may not even realize how it’s affecting us. The problem may just be that we are starting to doubt that God really loves us.
Doubt is a very unpopular word in the Christian community. Many Christians are afraid to admit any form of doubt because they feel guilty for having those thoughts, or they’re afraid of the judgment of other Christians. When doubt surfaces, many consider it as a lack of faith, not really believing God and His Word, so many struggle silently. Through their silent struggle, they can become stagnant in their walk with God.
I must admit that I have those periods of doubt at times, when things don’t go the way that I would like to see them go. It’s at these times, when it seems that all hell is breaking loose in your life, that we need to be reminded that God does love you.
Here are 9 comforting characteristics of God that serve as reminders of who He is and that He loves you and desires to be in the lives of all His children.
1.Approachable
Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Matthew 11:28-30 NIV “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
God is approachable. Because Jesus died for us, and the veil was torn, we can go directly to God for ourselves anytime. God invites us into His presence. We are not only encouraged to come to our Savior, but we are also offered the precious gifts of grace and mercy for approaching Him.
2.Caring
1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
God cares deeply about us. God not only desires our praise, thanksgiving, and worship, He also wants our worries and our cares. God welcomes your greatest fears and sources of anxiety, and He wants all of them. Not some of them, but all of them. That’s comforting supernatural caring!
3. Loving
1 John 4:7-10 NIV Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
You hear this all the time but it’s worth repeating God is not just loving; He is love.
4. Forgiving
Isaiah 43:25 NIV “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.
God is forgiving. He does not hold grudges. He not only forgives but He will never think of them again. Yes, we may have to suffer the natural consequences of our sins, at times, God does not hold our sins against us. All He asks is that we confess our sins.
1 John 1:9-10 NIV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
Since He forgives us He also asks that we forgive others.
Matthew 6:12 NIV And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
5. Compassionate, Faithful, and Merciful (Characteristic combo)
Psalms 86:15 NLT But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. (Emphasis mine)
Lamentations 3:22-23 NKJV Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. (Emphasis mine)
Compassionate, faithful, and merciful clearly highlight God's comforting characteristics towards His children.
6. Honest
2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.
Numbers 23:19 NIV God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
God is a promise keeper. The Bible reminds us that God does not, cannot, and will not lie.
When God says something, He means it. When God makes promises, He will deliver. We can be confident in Him and all that is written in His Word. God says what He means and means what He says.
Deuteronomy 7:9 NIV Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.
7.Trustworthy
Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Psalms 1:1-3 NIV Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Honesty, faithfulness, and trustworthiness go hand in hand. God does not fail us. God proves trustworthiness by his consistency in our lives. When we trust God with our hearts and minds, He guides us. God leads us in the right direction. His will and His plan for our life take center stage.
8. Ever-Present
Hebrews 13:5 NIV Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Emphasis mine)
Psalms 139:7-12 NIV Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
God is always with you in those lonely moments or times where no one seems to be around.
No time or space falls outside of the realm of never. God is always with us, and not only does He promise to remain present in our lives, but He also promises that He will never abandon us.
9. Able
Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Jeremiah 32:17 NIV “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.
Matthew 19:26 NIV Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
God is able. There is nothing He cannot do. He is all-powerful and almighty. When you face challenges that appear impossible to overcome, you can take comfort in knowing that God is able, and because He is able, we are able. You can find comfort in knowing that.
2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.
Numbers 23:19 NIV God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
God is a promise keeper. The Bible reminds us that God does not, cannot, and will not lie.
When God says something, He means it. When God makes promises, He will deliver. We can be confident in Him and all that is written in His Word. God says what He means and means what He says.
Deuteronomy 7:9 NIV Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.
7.Trustworthy
Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Psalms 1:1-3 NIV Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Honesty, faithfulness, and trustworthiness go hand in hand. God does not fail us. God proves trustworthiness by his consistency in our lives. When we trust God with our hearts and minds, He guides us. God leads us in the right direction. His will and His plan for our life take center stage.
8. Ever-Present
Hebrews 13:5 NIV Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Emphasis mine)
Psalms 139:7-12 NIV Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
God is always with you in those lonely moments or times where no one seems to be around.
No time or space falls outside of the realm of never. God is always with us, and not only does He promise to remain present in our lives, but He also promises that He will never abandon us.
9. Able
Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Jeremiah 32:17 NIV “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.
Matthew 19:26 NIV Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
God is able. There is nothing He cannot do. He is all-powerful and almighty. When you face challenges that appear impossible to overcome, you can take comfort in knowing that God is able, and because He is able, we are able. You can find comfort in knowing that.
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