The Lord Loves You

The LORD did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! Rather, it was simply that the LORD loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the LORD rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Deuteronomy 7:7-8

THE OLD TESTAMENT tells the story of the people God chose from all the nations of the earth to showcase his redeeming work. But the reasoning and purpose behind his choice is not obvious in human terms. God didn’t set his affections on Israel because they had done anything to deserve it or because they were strong or numerous or impressive. He loved them because he chose to love them. He promised Abraham and Isaac and Jacob that he would love them when he said, “This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you” (Genesis 17:7). His choosing was not random, and neither was it without meaning. “I created Judah and Israel to cling to me, says the LORD. They were to be my people, my pride, my glory —an honor to my name” (Jeremiah 13:11).

Perhaps the only way we can begin to understand this kind of love is to explore the nature and source of our love for our own children. We don’t love them because of anything they’ve accomplished or because they are necessarily lovable. In fact, the radical and inexplicable nature of our love for our children is best demonstrated when our children are at their worst, when on the surface of things, they are demonstrably unlovable. We love them because . . . we love them. We love them because they are ours.

Gracious God, even before you made the world, you loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in your eyes. You decided in advance to adopt us into your own family by bringing us to yourself through Jesus Christ. This is what you wanted to do, and it gave you great pleasure. Lord, it is only your irresistible grace that can bring ________ to the place of choosing you. Please work in ________ so that ________ will cling to you, so that ________ will be your pride and your glory, bringing honor to your name.