Nestled in the Heart of God

There is a wonderful understanding that every Christian should cling to, and it is this. That before the first star was formed, before the first glimmer of light sprung forth in this unfathomable universe, before all things became all things, you and I were nestled warmly in the loving heart of God.

Let’s read the verse found in Romans 8:29 that tells us, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” 

Take a moment and think deeply about this fact. That before God created the heavens and the earth, we were in His thoughts and in His heart. It is as if God then created the universe for our benefit. Paul confirms this in Ephesians 1:4:5 where he says, “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,”. 

Wow, now think about this. You and I were chosen, before the beginning of time, to become followers of Christ. We are not here in this place and at this time by accident or chance. It was preordained by God before the creation of the universe. We were called to become a blessed son or daughter of the Living God, the Creator of All Things. And what was God’s objective for our birth? That we become conformed into the likeness of His Son, Jesus. You and I have been predestined to become more like Jesus in every way and in all things.

So, if God knew us before time began, then we can trust that He has a plan for our lives. Each day is meant to move us further along God’s path in order to bring us closer to the likeness of Jesus. We read the words found in Psalm 139:16 which says, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

Rejoice my brothers and sisters in the fact that you and I were nestled warmly in the heart of God before the beginning of the universe. We were bathed in His love and we were deeply cherished while we patiently awaited our time to experience this journey. We are here for a purpose, and that purpose is to become more like Jesus in every way.

However, we are often our own worst enemy when it comes to God’s plan. When God created us, He gave us His two greatest gifts. The gift of His love and the gift of free will. Too often we will accept the first gift while abusing the second. Yet, the key to resolving this dilemma is all in the act of giving.

God gave us His unconditional love and total freedom to choose, and as children who are predestined to be changed into the likeness of Jesus, the only way we will reach that goal is to return those gifts back to God in kind. We need to choose to love our God as deeply and as passionately as He loves us and we need to choose to place our will into His hands each day and pray that He makes our will His own.

Let us pray that the will of our Heavenly Father unfolds in our lives each and every day.

Pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to change us and conform us, so that we will become more like our Savior Jesus.

Let us end every prayer declaring that it is not our will that we seek to be done, but the will of the Father that we desire most.

It is amazing to think about how we lived in God’s heart before He created the universe, and if we really think about it, we are still there, nestled safely within the heart of God. He knew our faults and our foibles before we took our first breath. He knew the sins that we would commit, yet He still loves us unconditionally. He laid out a beautiful plan for our life. A plan that would take us on a journey that would lead us directly into the arms of Jesus. How can we not feel special after realizing all of that?