Love & Beauty Sermon, Pt. 5- A Secure Love

By Abigail Barrett

“As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.” -Song of Solomon 2:2

Reason #3 for why God is a better father to us than our earthly fathers: God’s love gives us 100% security.

God give us security through affirmation in word and in deed.

Earthly father affirm their children in word and in deed as well. They affirm us in word by telling us that we are beautiful, smart, strong, etc. However, there is only so much weight and power their words can carry. And, they will never be powerful enough to give us 100% security.

Earthly fathers also affirm us with their deeds, that is, by their actions. Ideally, they show up for us, provide for us, support us, etc. But, whether by choice or by circumstance, our earthly fathers are bound to let us down at some point because they are finite creatures too.

On the other hand, God in the fullness of His love and authority, speaks affirmation over our identities. He looks at the master pieces that He has created and says that we are good. This should be encouraging to us because whatever God says is “yea and amen.” He spoke and the world came into being. So, if He says that we are good, then we have no choice but to be good.

I don’t know about you, but God not only said that I was good, but He also gave me a name: Abigail. He said, “You are my joy… you are the apple of my eye… the thought of you brings me joy.” God said that He was jealous over me, that He would move heaven, earth, and hell to protect me from harm.

God not only spoke these things over me, but He backed them up with His actions. He never left me, never forsook me. He made ways for me out no ways, made highways in the wilderness, allowed water to spring up in the desert. God said that I am His daughter and He has never treated me less than that.

So I ask you, what affirmation has God spoken over you? What name did He give you? Who are you to God? Once you know that, you will be on the path to complete security in your identity.

When we think of identity, our minds run to purpose. But I want to challenge that notion—identity is not primarily rooted in purpose, but it is primarily rooted in God’s love. Before asking “What was I made for?” let’s ask “Who was I made for?” That way, we will be fulfilled before we even receive our first assignment.

✨Stay tuned for Part 6✨