1 Corinthians 13:8

Friday 2/17/12

1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails.  But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

Interpretation:

     Prophecies – the Holy Spirit’s voice spoke truth into my life. Tongues – I once knew the things to say to others to build them up in the Lord and others did the same for me. Knowledge – I have countless verses memorized and know what the Bible says about so many topics. But now I’m troubled; now Satan’s attacking. I grasped for the prophecies, words of wisdom, and Biblical knowledge that seemed so relevant for my situation; but it’s not there; it’s gone; it’s not working. No, it’s technically there. I know; it’s still in my head, and I can tell you what it is. But it might as well be gone. It’s not helping; I don’t feel much better; I still feel attacked, down, and defeated. What now?

     Look to love. Love never fails. Look to the One who loves you perfectly. Everything else has failed. I can’t make heads or tails. It doesn’t even feel like God’s there. But I know that He loves me. I can’t feel it, but I don’t need to. Even when you can’t feel love, love can’t fail. Jesus already showed love on the cross. It conquered all. I just need to have the faith and hope to hold onto Him and His love for me, and all the troubles will eventually, one day, vanish away along with the prophecies, tongues, and knowledge. And finally, all that will remain is the love of the One that had never stopped loving me and holding me up through the worst storms that conquered everything else. “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Application:

     Many times, I get built up and know that the Lord loves me especially when He reveals something to me, speaks to me personally or through others, or when the right verse pops into my mind and just seems to touch my heart. Today, though, I will ask God to help me to look not at these or any other outward circumstances to remember that He loves me, but to remember that He loves me regardless of whether or not I can feel it. Even when I don’t hear His voice, feel His presence, or know what’s going on, I will still trust that He loves me and will not fail me.