Asking To Be Loved

By Catherine Gilmore

I have recently been loving theYCW prayer, “Jesus, remind me how much You love me.” It is not that I have completely forgotten the sacred story of my salvation or the wondrous movements of grace throughout the various seasons of my life. It is just that sometimes I need a reminder of His abundant and providential love. I need a real, tangible, astonishing reminder. My world-weary heart needs to understand and feel the love of our God. 

In our lives, there are plenty of times that we ask for love. As it should be. We tell a friend that we need a hug, we tell our coworkers that we need a fun night out, we tell our family that we need some words of affirmation. So why can’t we tell our most loving Father the same thing? Why can’t we ask for exactly what we want and need?

I’m not saying that God is a divine vending machine that, upon request, will dispense some dark chocolate and immediate feelings of perfect contentment. But I promise you that He will hear your prayer. In my own life, there are countless instances in which I have felt God’s miraculously beautiful and generous love when I needed to feel it most. A student surprised me a cup of coffee after I had told God that I needed some affection. Peace flooded my soul as I spent some quiet time with Him in Adoration. A coworker left pink tulips on top of my mailbox when I was dealing with some tough disappointments. An unexpected compliment and quick hug came when I told God that I was feeling unloved. 

So ask Him. Ask Him to remind you how dearly and wildly you are loved. Ask Him to tell you, in His own way, how radically you are cared for. Ask Him to remind you of His perfect goodness. And then look. Open your eyes and expect Him to give you exactly what you need. It may not be what you thought, it may even be completely unexpected, but it will be good. Because He is good.