Does God love me?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

God is love (1 John 4:8), and God loves the world (John 3:16). But God also loves individuals. Yes, God loves us personally. Throughout the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments, we see God’s personal care and attention to individuals. God’s interactions with people like Hagar, Moses, Joseph, and others illustrate His deep concern and love for them. Jesus’s life and ministry also reveal God’s personal love for people through one-on-one interactions, healing, and teaching. God’s love for us is ultimately demonstrated by Jesus’s sacrifice. His pursuit of us to know Him and to respond to this sacrifice reveals His care and love for each person. Understanding this personal love reassures us of our worth and motivates us to extend the same love to others, living out our faith in practical ways.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• In the Old Testament, we are not shown merely a history of a people group. God's love for individuals is demonstrated through personal interactions and acts of care.
• God met Hagar in the wilderness, providing for her and her son, Ishmael, demonstrating His care for her despite her difficult situation (Genesis 16; 21:14–21).
• God was with Joseph through his trials, giving him wisdom and favor, ultimately elevating him to a position of power to save many from famine (Genesis 37–50).
• God called Moses from the burning bush, revealing His plan to deliver Israel from Egypt and empowering Moses with signs and guidance (Exodus 3–4).
• Despite Jonah's reluctance, God pursued him and gave him a second chance to deliver a message of repentance to Nineveh, showing His compassion for the city's inhabitants (Jonah 1–4).
• God allowed Job to experience suffering but ultimately restored him, showing His deep concern for Job’s faith and perseverance (Job 1–42).
• God chose David to be king and made a covenant with him, promising that his descendants would rule forever, showing a personal and enduring relationship (1 Samuel 16; 2 Samuel 7).
• God placed Esther in a position to save the Jewish people from destruction, demonstrating His providence and care for their survival (Esther 1–10).
• God blessed Ruth's loyalty and faithfulness by providing for her and integrating her into the lineage of David and Jesus, showing His love for all nations (Ruth 1–4).
• God honored Jabez's prayer for blessing and protection, illustrating His responsiveness to personal cries for help (1 Chronicles 4:10).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Salvation is the biggest demonstration of God's love for each of us (1 John 3:16). Jesus humbled Himself not only by taking on human flesh, but by allowing Himself to be brutally murdered for sins we committed (Philippians 2:5–8). He did this with joy (Hebrews 12:2). And He did it while we were still dead in our sins (Romans 5:6–11; Colossians 2:13). We did not impress God or cajole Him into saving us. Salvation is completely from His heart of love. Jesus became sin that we might become righteous; He granted us new life (2 Corinthians 5:17, 21). He saved us for a purpose.
• Jesus loved people on an individual basis. His ministry was not publicly broadcast but carried out one-on-one. He chose a group of twelve disciples (Luke 6:13) and an inner circle of three (Matthew 17:1). He spoke to the individuals He healed (John 5:14; Luke 8:48). He did not exclude those who were not Israelites, but shared His love with whoever would receive it (John 4:7–10; Matthew 15:21–28).
• Jesus was interested in showing love not only to His disciples, but to other people. He healed many; He provided food for the hungry; He spoke to the outcasts of the day, even a Samaritan woman (John 4).
• Jesus washing the disciples’ feet revealed His personal love for them (John 13:4–5).
• After washing the disciples' feet, Jesus called us to love others the way He loves us, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34–35).
• John 15:9–11 reveals God’s abundant love for us: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
• Jesus’s High Priestly Prayer reveals God’s love for His people and all who will ever believe (John 17:21–26). Jesus wants us to be united with one another, to be united with Him, to be with Him, to know Him, and to experience His love. This is not a prayer aimed at the world or at a group of nameless faces. It is a prayer about individuals.
• God loves unbelievers as well and is patient with them to respond to His call to salvation: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
• We are each God's masterpiece (Ephesians 2:8–10), and God loves each of us individually. He is working in each of us to become the people He made us to be and to use for good what sin has tried to destroy.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Understanding that God loves us personally reassures us that we are personally valued and cherished, not for what we do, but for who we are as God’s creation, His masterpieces. Knowing that God loves us provides a sense of security and worth. Our identity is rooted in His love, rather than in our achievements or failures. Despite loving us unconditionally, God loves us too much to leave us in the condition we are in with sin. He demonstrates His love for us by the way He saves us and rescues us from ourselves and from sin by continuing to transform us into new creations, no longer bound by sin but living in His Spirit (Galatians 5). This personal love from God encourages us to approach Him with confidence and honesty, knowing that He is always ready to listen, guide, and support us through life’s challenges and triumphs.

The awareness of God's personal love also motivates us to extend that same love to others. By recognizing that everyone is equally precious in God's eyes, we can approach others with empathy, grace, and compassion. It challenges us to forgive and to seek reconciliation, just as we have been forgiven and embraced by God. This love compels us to put others first, treat others as we would like to be treated, and to serve those around us, reflecting God's love in our actions and relationships. Ultimately, understanding God's personal love for us helps us live a life that is not only centered on His love but that puts that love into action in meaningful and practical ways.

UNDERSTAND

• The Bible shows God’s personal care through His interactions with individuals.
• God's ultimate love is revealed in Jesus’s sacrifice, with salvation available to each person who trusts in Him.
• Knowing God loves us personally gives us security and encourages us to extend that love to others in practical ways.

REFLECT

• How does knowing that God loves you personally affect your understanding of God and His character?
• How can you see God’s personal care and attention in your own life?
• How does understanding Jesus’s sacrifice as a demonstration of God’s love, both for the whole world and for individuals, influence your relationship with Him and your daily choices?

ENGAGE

• How can we practically reflect God’s personal love for us in our interactions with others?
• How does God’s personal care for individuals encourage or challenge us today?
• How does knowing that God loves everyone individually, not just as a group, impact how we approach evangelism and outreach?