What makes God’s love personal

I remember one day, I was listening to a worship song while driving, and I felt God say to me that I needed to know His love. I shrugged it off at first, but as the song continued to play, I sensed again and again the Holy Spirit impressing on my heart that I needed to really dwell on, and understand, His great love for me.

I remember replying then in my head, “Yeah, I get it, You love me.” But in that moment, I heard God say to me, “Yes, I love you. But did you know I also like you?”

Hearing this was a game changer for me. Not only did God love me, He also liked me. He enjoyed my personality, my sense of humour; He was interested in me and liked being with me. Realising this helped me see that God’s love was personal.

One big revelation for me as I searched the Scriptures was that God’s love is intentional, deliberate and not by default.

One big revelation for me as I searched the Scriptures was that God’s love is intentional, deliberate and not by default.

Deuteronomy 10:15 (NLT)says, “Yet the?Lord?choseyour ancestors as the objects of his love. And hechoseyou, their descendants, above all other nations, as is evident today.”

The Hebrew word for “chose” here is chashaq, meaning to delight in, to be joined to, or bind to. For God, choosing is the same as loving and delighting.