Do you know that you are dearly loved by God?
I know those are easy words to say. And I’ve talked about this before on previous podcast episodes, but I’m going to take a little different approach today. My hope is that you will experience the fact that you are dearly loved by God.
You may not feel this way right now, but I’m wondering if you’ve ever had those times when you felt alone, unappreciated, and unloved.
You’re trying to live your life to the best of your ability, but challenges keep piling up.
You pray. You study your Bible. Maybe you go to church. You try to do what’s right. You try to be loving and helpful to others.
But you just wonder sometimes if it’s all worth it. Does your life even add up to anything? Does God really care about you and actually hear your prayers? Are you making a difference in the world? Does your life even matter?
How long, O Lord?
Sometimes it’s tempting to ask God how long until we get answers to these questions, how long until healing comes, until we get a victory over the struggles in life.
The book of Psalms is full of that familiar plea to God (see below for more examples):
Psalm 13:1 NLT
1 O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever?
How long will you look the other way?Psalm 89:46 NLT
46 O LORD, how long will this go on?
Will you hide yourself forever?
Over the years, I will be honest, there have been times when I felt this way, and it’s not the greatest attitude to have, let me tell you. But those times have forced me to do some serious self-reflection and self-examination, which have been very helpful in the long run.
And sooner or later, every time I have found myself in one of these low spots in my life, God has broken through the darkness and touched my heart with love and encouragement. And I know that’s possible for you as well.
One time in particular, many years ago, I was pretty down on myself. I just didn’t feel I was making any spiritual progress. And I didn’t feel successful in life at all. I didn’t feel like anyone really cared for me, which of course was not true, but I felt that way.
The book of Daniel to the rescue
I was praying earnestly during this time, but wondering if it was going to make any difference. One day I came across a Bible passage in the book of Daniel that basically opened up a window to heaven and I felt God’s love and care for me like I never had before. It gave me such hope.
This is in chapter 9 and chapter 10 of Daniel. I encourage you to read the both chapters to see everything in context. (See below for the verses that were helpful to me.)
The Israelites were in captivity in Babylon. Daniel had been praying and fasting. He was confessing his own sins as well as the sins of the whole nation of Israel. And he was asking for God’s forgiveness and mercy.
The children of Israel had disobeyed God. They had worshiped idols and other gods. They had not been faithful and Daniel was repenting of this.
It was right at that moment of repentance and turning to God for help when the angel Gabriel comes to Daniel and informs him that he has come to give Daniel understanding. Then he specifically says, “I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved.” (Daniel 9:23) Gabriel goes on to tell Daniel various prophecies.
Then in Chapter 10 Gabriel comes again to Daniel. Daniel had a vision which sapped his strength. He was asleep with his face on the ground when a hand touched him and raised him to his hands and knees. Then he heard a voice say,
“O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.
Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. Daniel 10:11, 12 NKJV (see below for additional verses in chapter 10)
You are dearly loved by God
When I read these passages, I felt encouraged. I felt seen. I felt known. I felt appreciated. I knew God had heard my prayers all along. I knew God loved me dearly.
And this is true for you too.
From the very first time you poured out your heart to God in prayer, God has heard you. God sees you. God knows you. God loves you dearly.
I’m reminded of this verse from Psalms,
Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. Psalm 42:11 NKJV
Well, let’s get back to Daniel
Three things really stand out to me in these two chapters.
First, Daniel was repenting, not just of his own sins, but the sins of all the Children of Israel.
Second, the angel told Daniel that from the very first day he had prayed to make his heart right with God, his prayers had been heard.
Third, the angel said multiple times that Daniel was dearly loved.
The most important thing here is that Daniel was made to understand that God loved him. And this is the most important thing for you and me as well, to accept the angel’s message that you are dearly loved by God.
I love to think of Daniel, being faithful all those many years in Babylon. Here, toward the end of that time, he may have felt discouraged. But God sent the angel to comfort and strengthen him. And most importantly to let him know that God loved him dearly.
What can we learn from Daniels’s situation?
Have you ever felt like you were in captivity to a problem, either because of your own or someone else’s disobedience to God?
That is the time to pray and repent. Every time I read chapters 9 and 10 of Daniel, I marvel that Daniel does not just repent for his own sins. He repents for all the sins of all the Children of Israel.
How often have you or I done that? Honestly, I usually have enough to repent just of my own mistakes. Why should I repent for things I didn’t do?
But I have come to realize that I can repent for all the sins committed by the Christian church throughout history. Think of all the atrocities carried out in the name of Christ, in the name of the church, that were the exact opposite of what Jesus would do or want his followers to do.
Think of what’s going on in some churches today that is in disobedience to the two great Commandments to love God and love your neighbor as yourself.
It’s very easy if you have not committed those sins, to think you are better than those who do commit them. And it’s often easier to see someone else’s sins than it is to see your own.
The prayer of repentance
So, I would like to invite you to join me in a prayer of repentance, not just for what you have done wrong, but also for what the entire Christian church has done wrong throughout the ages.
Maybe you think you are above that. Maybe you think you don’t need to repent for what others have done wrong.
Maybe you’re right.
Or maybe we all need a deeper sense of what true repentance is.
It’s not just being sorry for your sins or asking God to forgive the whole Christian church down through history.
A change of perspective
Repentance is a complete change of perspective. It’s changing your viewpoint from what’s happening on earth to seeing what’s going on in heaven. It’s about seeing that God is supreme no matter what sinful men and women have done yesterday, today, or tomorrow.
So please join me in a deep prayer of repentance that looks down the corridors of time and sees beyond the mistakes, the sins, the disobedience of those claiming to be Christians but acting contrary to Christ’s nature.
And like Daniel, ask God to show you His glory and mercy, not because any sense of your own righteousness, but because God is righteous.
This is a prayer of profound humility, when prayed with the spirit Daniel prayed with.
Repentance and feeling loved?
Now you’re probably thinking, Hey James, I thought this was going to be about how much God loves me. Why are you talking so much about repentance?
Well, it is about how much God loves you. And one of the best ways to hear the angel say, “You are dearly loved by God” is to follow Daniel’s example of repenting for your own sins as well as the sins of others.
God always loves you dearly and is always telling you how much you are loved.
But if you are holding onto your own sins or resentful of others’ sins, you won’t hear God’s voice.
Repentance clears the air, so to speak, so you can hear God telling you how dearly loved you are.
And don’t be surprised when you pray this prayer of Daniel, that the angel of God comes to you, strengthens you, and says, “Oh child of the Most High, you are dearly loved by God.”
James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.
Bible references:
Psalm 6:3 NLT
3 I am sick at heart.
How long, O LORD, until you restore me?
Psalm 13:1 NLT
1 O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever?
How long will you look the other way?
Psalm 35:17 NLT
17 How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing?
Rescue me from their fierce attacks.
Protect my life from these lions!
Psalm 79:5 NLT
5 O LORD, how long will you be angry with us? Forever?
How long will your jealousy burn like fire?
Psalm 80:4 NLT
4 O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies,
how long will you be angry with our prayers?
Psalm 89:46 NLT
46 O LORD, how long will this go on?
Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your anger burn like fire?
Psalm 90:13 NLT
13 O LORD, come back to us!
How long will you delay?
Take pity on your servants!
Psalm 94:3 NLT
3 How long, O LORD?
How long will the wicked be allowed to gloat?
Daniel 9:3-6, 8, 9, 18-23 NKJV
3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
4 And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments,
5 “we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments.
6 “Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land.
8 “O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.
9 “To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him.
18 “O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies.
19 “O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”
20 Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God,
21 yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering.
22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand.
23 “At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved;
Daniel 10: 11, 12, 14-19 NKJV
11 “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.
12 Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.
14 “Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.”
15 When he had spoken such words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless.
16 And suddenly, one having the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke, saying to him who stood before me, “My lord, because of the vision my sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I have retained no strength.
17 “For how can this servant of my lord talk with you, my lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me.”
18 Then again, the one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me.
19 And he said, “O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!” So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”
Psalm 42:11 NKJV
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.
