Let God Love You
7-Day Meditation and Journaling Experience
Come with Your Burdens and Cares
Won’t you tell me, lover of my soul,
where do you feed your flock?
Song of Songs 1:7a, TPT
Listen, my radiant one—
if you ever lose sight of me,
just follow in my footsteps where I lead my lovers.
Come with your burdens and cares.
Come to the place near the sanctuary of my shepherds.
Song of Songs 1:8, TPT
I have found the gateway to God,
the pathway to his presence for all his lovers.
Psalm 118:20, TPT
Day 1: Resolving Pain
When we experience difficult relationships or painful breakups with a lover, we tend to put up our defenses to protect ourselves from future pain. We keep people at arm’s length because we’re afraid we’ll get hurt again. These defenses protect us from getting hurt, but they also keep us from feeling the joys of loving relationships with others.
Although we don’t intend to, we do the same thing with God. Over time, we get hurt by disappointment with God—unanswered prayers, unanswered questions, unfulfilled hopes, and so forth.
Without realizing it, we begin to keep God at arm’s length. We still believe in God, but we’re just not sure we can trust him in one or more areas of life.
List any situations in your life that caused you to feel hurt by God or disappointed by his response (or lack of).
In what ways have those points of pain caused you to keep your distance from God?
Let’s take our disappointments and pain to God:
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Cup your hands. Hold all those unfulfilled hopes, prayers, and questions—anything that makes you want to keep God at a distance.
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Now lift up your hands as you give them to God.
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With hands emptied of disappointments, keep your hands cupped to receive God’s love.
What did you experience as you transferred your disappointments to God and received his love? (It’s okay if you didn’t sense a lot, but I can assure you God changed you in that moment. You’ve opened yourself up to receiving God’s love.)
They Still Doubted God's Care
For we are the lovers he cares for
and he is the God we worship.
So drop everything else and listen to his voice!
For this is what he’s saying:
“Today, when I speak,
don’t even think about turning a deaf ear to me
like they did when they tested me at Meribah and Massah,
the place where they argued with me, their Creator.
Your ancestors challenged me over and over
with their complaining,
even though I had convinced them of my power and love.
They still doubted my care for them.
Psalm 95:7-9, TPT
Day 2: Feeling Safe
It takes vulnerability to let someone love you. You have to feel safe with a person in order to be vulnerable. The same is true with God.
When God led his people out of Egypt, they wandered in the wilderness for years. The people complained that God had led them out there to die. They weren’t sure they trusted God. They weren’t sure they felt safe.
God said he convinced them of his power and love, but they still doubted his care for them.
In what ways do you doubt God’s care for you?
Now take time to reflect on your past history with God. What evidence can you find, looking back, that God was demonstrating his power and love to you?
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God Invites You to Come to Him
My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”
Psalm 27:8, NLT
So the Lord must wait for you to come to him
so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the Lord is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his help.
Isaiah 30:18, NLT
Day 3: The Lord Waits for You
God has an open invitation for you. He invites you to come to him: “Come and talk with me.”
The Lord waits for you to come to him. He wants to show you how much he loves you, but he’s not going to force his love on you. So he waits. He waits for you so he can pour out his love on you.
Do you fear God’s love for any reason? Do you fear you might not be worthy of his love?
What might happen if you let God love you? Are you willing to let God love you today?
Right now, for this moment in time, let God love you. Record the loving words, impressions, images, or feelings you experience as God loves you.
My Soul Is Content
I am humbled and quieted in your presence.
Like a contented child who rests on its mother’s lap,
I’m your resting child and my soul is content in you.
Psalm 131:2, TPT
There’s a private place reserved for the lovers of God,
where they sit near him and receive
the revelation-secrets of his promises.
Psalm 25:14, TPT
Day 4: Come to the Lord without Demands
It’s easy to hurry into God’s presence with a list of requests and to leave just as quickly. Reflect for a moment about how much of your time with God is spent asking for things and how much time is spent just enjoying his presence. Most people probably lean toward asking. That’s fine. There’s no condemnation in Christ. But let’s try sitting in God’s presence for a few minutes.
For the next couple minutes, enter God’s presence with no agenda other than to let him love you.
Did you find it difficult to sit with God? What did you think or feel during this time? Don’t be discouraged. We’ll talk in greater detail about how to let God love you.
An infant comes to its mother's breast making loud, urgent demands--feed me! A weaned child comes to its mother's breast for comfort--to enjoy her presence. Likewise, we can come to the Lord to enjoy his presence rather than making demands.
You might want to imagine sitting on God’s lap, like a contented child. You’re not there to demand anything, just to enjoy being with God and to be enjoyed by God. Yes, God enjoys being with you.
Record your experience sitting on God’s lap.
Let God's Love Nourish Your Heart
“I love each of you with the same love that the Father loves me. You must continually let my love nourish your hearts.”
John 15:9, TPT
And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us!
Romans 5:5, TPT
Day 5: Receive Whatever God Has for You
When you come to God without making any demands, you are ready to receive whatever he wants to give you. Instead of expecting him to give you what you want, simply wait to receive what God wants to give.
What fears do you have about what God might give you?
As a good, loving Father, do you really think he would give his child anything less than his best? He is able to do more than we can ask or imagine!
We are to let God’s love nourish our hearts. Picture your heart, your life, like a dry sponge. God’s love saturates your heart and nourishes it with live-giving power. Does your heart seem more like a dry sponge or a wet, dripping sponge?
Take a moment to tell God you are ready to receive whatever he has for you. Soak it up. Let it nourish you from the inside out.
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Run with God to a Higher Place
Can you not discern this new day of destiny
breaking forth around you?
The early signs of my purposes and plans
are bursting forth.
The budding vines of new life
are now blooming everywhere.
The fragrance of their flowers whispers,
“There is change in the air.”
Arise, my love, my beautiful companion,
and run with me to the higher place.
For now is the time to arise and come away with me.
Song of Songs 2:13, TPT
Day 6: How to Let God Love You
Let’s get a little more specific. If letting God love you is a new concept for you, here’s an example of how to approach it.
Become still and comfortable. Simply say, “Lord, I am going to let you love me.” The first words you hear will be from God (subsequent thoughts may try to doubt it, but ignore them). Continue to focus on God and be open and eager to receive all he has for you.
He will probably tell you how much he loves you, how special you are, or other loving sentiments. Receive them without question. Accept his love for you. Let God’s words continue to flow and you’ll find emotional healing, fresh confidence, and more. His love will wash away pain and insecurity. He will build you up, not tear you down.
Whenever you need to encourage yourself in the Lord, return to this posture of letting God love you. This is also a lovely way to fall asleep.
You Might Hear God Say . . .
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“I love you!”
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“You are my child, in whom I am pleased.”
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“You are precious to me.”
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“I think about you all the time.”
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“You are beautiful.”
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“You are strong and brave.”
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“Your strength comes from me.”
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“My love overflows in you.”
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“I delight in every detail of your life.”
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“I am healing your pain.”
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“I am proud of you.”
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“You display my glory to others.”
Become still and comfortable and let God love you for a few minutes. Listen and receive his love without question. Afterwards, record the loving words God spoke into your heart or your feelings about the experience.
Day 7: Let God Love You
Have your previous attempts at letting God love you been encouraging or discouraging? Why?
You’re probably still learning to quiet yourself down and listen to God. That’s okay. It takes practice.
What are your expectations as you come to God to let him love you?
Sometimes our expectations get in the way because we expect to receive something in a particular way. Remember, try to be open to receive whatever God wants to give you and however he wishes to give it.
Let’s come to God again today. He may speak loving words into your heart, give you a mental picture of his love, or simply make you aware of his presence. Whatever form it takes is fine. Just let God love you again today.
Become still and comfortable and let God love you for a few minutes. Listen and receive his love without question. Afterwards, record the loving words God spoke into your heart or your feelings about the experience.
Continue to let God love you each day. When God’s love saturates your awareness, it will change you.
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