READ: LAMENTATIONS 3:22-26; EPHESIANS 3:14-21; 1 JOHN 4:16

Ten or fifteen years ago, when I was a teenager and struggling through that often awkward and difficult phase of life, I wish I had known just how much God loved me.

I knew of God’s love. I felt it in my life. But I didn’t realize just how great it is.

As the years have gone by, I’ve learned to rely on God more and more. The more I rely on and lean into Him, the more I feel His love. Each day, I feel Him with me. Through the challenges I face, I know He is always there. Through any future challenges, I know He will not abandon me (Psalm 16:8; Matthew 1:23; 28:20; Hebrews 13:5).

God has proven Himself to me over and over through the years. I feel loved by Him because of the way He takes care of me. I feel loved by Him because I know He has given me the gift of salvation through Jesus’s death and resurrection, and I will one day live on the new heavens and new earth with Him when He returns.

I wish, as a teenager, I could have grasped how big God’s love for me is. I wish I had allowed His love to wrap around me and give me peace. I have never faced anything alone because He has always been with me. God’s love never fails and never ends, and I am always okay because of it.

And, just as God loves me, He loves you too. • Bethany Acker

• Have you ever had a moment when you realized in a new way how much God loves you? What was that like? If not, you can ask God for this anytime. He is eager to answer these prayers.

• We can have full access to God’s love because of Jesus. (If you want to know more, see our “Know Jesus” page.) In Ephesians 3:19, Paul prays for the Christians in Ephesus, “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.” God’s love is beyond our understanding, yet the Holy Spirit helps us grow in our awareness of His love throughout our lives. Do you have any favorite Bible verses about God’s love for you? Consider choosing a verse to read every day this week, and as you read it, ask God to help you experience His love more and more deeply.

• All of the truths in today’s devotion are from Scripture. If you want to read more about God’s love, here are a few places to start: Psalms 13:5; 26:3; 94:18; Isaiah 54:10; Jeremiah 31:3; John 3:16-17; Romans 5:5-11; 8:35-39; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 1:4-6; 2:1-10; 1 John 4:10.

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! 1 John 3:1 (NLT)