How loved we are
Valentine’s Day, for better or worse, is about love.
Romance, for sure, but, at least in the United States tradition, this is also a day for friends, family, and other relationships. You can use this holiday to show your appreciation for anyone in your life, no matter how you know them.
While Valentine’s Day does not have a strong association with being Christian(aside from its honor to Saint Valentine), we can still remember how much God loves us, too, and He will always be the One to love us best.
That can be a bit hard to believe since He also knows more about us than we know about ourselves. Every flaw, every imperfection, every thought, word, and deed we’ve ever done, and He still loves us more than we could ever know.
As several of my past articles have stated, Christian music is a huge part of my life. For Valentine’s Day, I would like to share a few of my favorites on God’s love. Whether single or taken, there is still Someone who loves you. Not just on Valentine’s Day, but every day of every year.
“Irreplaceable” by Riley Clemmons
I wrote an album review of Clemmons’s newest release, “Church Pew.” “Irreplaceable” is one of the tracks off the 2021 album “Godsend,” and one of my favorites in her entire discography.
As the title shows, we are irreplaceable as God’s children. There may be billions of problems in the world that feel more important than whatever we go through in our day-to-day lives, but that doesn’t matter. He made us, loves us, and cares for us, despite our feelings of unworthiness.
“For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.” -Deuteronomy 7:6
His chosen people, His treasure. Sounds like love to me.
Favorite lyrics: “But to You, I am/ More than just a face in a crowd/ Worth more than gold at any amount/ To You, I am irreplaceable/ The scars in Your hands/ Say that I am worth fighting for/ They say that I’m forever adored”
“He Knows My Name” by Francesca Battistelli
The beauty of being God’s treasure is that we don’t have to seek approval anywhere else. If I belong to Him, the Almighty God, how could anything else compare to that?
Battistelli knows that living for acceptance in this world is not worth compromising her relationship with her Heavenly Father. Her song says as much that even she, living in a world of fame, has to remind herself that she belongs to Jesus, thus the world does not matter anymore.
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine.” -Isaiah 43:1
Favorite lyrics: “I wouldn’t choose me first if/ I was looking for a champion/ In fact I’d understand if/ You picked everyone before me/ But that’s just not my story/ True to who You are/ You saw my heart/ And made/ Something out of nothing”
“Priceless” by For King and Country
For King and Country has a great discography anyway, but “Priceless” is one of my long-time favorites from its release when I was in middle school.
Similar to Riley Clemmons’s “Irreplaceable,” this song is about our value in God’s eyes. His children have more value than anyone could comprehend. So much, in fact, that God sent His only Son to die for all humanity.
Why would the Almighty God allow his creation to be saved after we screwed up? Why would He sacrifice His Son? Why not wipe us all out and start over? I guess the answer is that He still loves us, imperfect though we are. His mercy is infinite, despite our shortcomings.
Favorite lyrics: “No matter what you’ve heard/ This is what you’re worth/ More than all the money or the diamonds and pearls/ Oh, this is who you are”
“Who Am I?” By Casting Crowns
This is a cover of a hymn by the same name, which continues the message.
According to the Bible, we are waves tossed to and fro(Ephesians 4:14), vapor that disappears in an instant (James 4:14), grass that withers and fades(1 Peter 1:24), and basically pretty forgettable. Considering the billions of people who have lived throughout history, what else would we expect?
Who are we that God would hear every one of us whenever we cry out to Him? Why should He care about our every thought and word? As the theme of this Valentine’s article continues: it’s because He loves us. We may be insignificant when looked at as a whole, but there are no limits to God’s love. We are still just as priceless, just as treasured.
Favorite lyrics: “Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin would look on me with love/ And watch me rise again/ Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea would call out through the rain/ And calm the storm in me?”
“Hard Love” by NeedtoBreathe
Not a secret, but life is hard. Being a Christian doesn’t make it any easier. In some ways, it gets harder as we try to press on to be like Jesus and leave the world behind (not the simplest of feats).
It’s a constant struggle to deny what I want and do what Jesus wants. Not because I think that makes me a “better person” or to “earn my way to heaven”. No one could ever do that–we are saved by God’s grace(Ephesians 2:8-9) and I believe I’ve mentioned that we are unworthy of the Almighty God.
Life still beats you down. Sometimes our circumstances feel like too much like getting back up isn’t worth it. Don’t worry; God’s always there to help you stand up and keep going. Even in the midst of trials, He’s still there, keeping you strong. I think the apostle Paul summed it up beautifully.
“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” -2 Corinthians 12:9-10
We don’t always know why trials come, but all things work for the good of those who love God(Romans 8:28).
Favorite lyrics: “In the morning you gon’ need an answer/ Ain’t nobody gonna change the standard/ It’s not enough to just feel the flame/ You’ve gotta burn your old self away” and “Hold on tight a little longer/ What don’t kill ya, makes ya stronger/ Get back up, cuz it’s a hard love”
“You Love Me Anyway” by Sidewalk Prophets
Sometimes it’s just hard to walk outside, to live for Christ every single day. Lots of times, it’s just easier to hide it all away and keep our questions to ourselves.
It’s okay to have questions, and it’s okay to ask them. It is impossible for us to understand everything, but we can have this hope and walk by faith, knowing that God knows best and, as I said before, that all things work together for the good of those who love God(Romans 8:28).
Even if we have questions, He still loves us. Even if we feel as if our circumstances are too much, God does not give us more than we can handle (see the book of Job). It’s a matter of taking Him on faith and knowing that, as followers of Christ, we have a greater hope waiting for us in heaven with Jesus.
Favorite lyrics: “But the future’s so far/ My heart is so frail/ I think I’d rather stay inside/ But You love me anyway/ It’s like nothing in life/ That I’ve ever known”
“More” by Matthew West
In today’s world, more than in recent years, we see people with a great passion for nature and the preservation of the great outdoors. I hear people constantly berate humans for what we’ve done to the environment and humans are awful.
This may be true in the sense that we do need to take care of the earth God created, but we also need to be assured that the human race is more loved than anything else in creation. Jesus did not die for pandas or trees or the ozone layer. Jesus died for people, His most beloved creation. We have a special place in His heart, as we are made in the image of God.
“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” -Genesis 1: 27
Only after God made people did He say everything He created was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). After everything else He said it was “good”(Genesis 1: 4, 10, 18, 21, 25). We were the final detail of creation that made it “very good”. Even though Adam sinned later in Genesis 3 and we now live in a broken world, Jesus still came to die for us.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” -Matthew 10: 29-31
We are worth more than the birds–lots of birds, actually–and other forms of creation. God even has our hair numbered. He went to that extent to know every detail about us! I’d say that’s love.
Favorite lyrics: “I love you more than the sun/ And the stars that I taught how to shine/ You are mine, and you shine for me too/ I love you yesterday and today/ And tomorrow, I’ll say it again and again/ I love you more”
I don’t know about you, but it’s pretty reassuring to know that there is a God who loves me despite my faults. Even if you are “alone” this Valentine’s Day(alone in the sense that you are not in a romantic relationship), don’t forget there are other forms of love to be grateful for, too. The love of friends, parents, siblings, or other family members. Most importantly, the love of Jesus.