Desperate for Reassurance

by Lysa TerKeurst, from Uninvited

Whatever is true… think about such things… And the God of peace will be with you. — Philippians 4:8b, Philippians 4:9b (NIV)

If you’ve ever heard me give my testimony, you know part of what I share is being a little girl twirling around next to my daddy, wishing I could know that he loved me.

Maybe in his own way, he did love me. But something was broken in our relationship that left me feeling desperate for reassurance.

Over the years, God has healed my heart in miraculous ways. Through God’s promises I’ve been reassured of all those things I wished my earthly father would have said. I know God’s love for me is deep, unwavering and certain.

But there are still times I catch myself twirling again. Crying out again. Wishing I could feel totally secure. Hating my insecurities. And mad that this struggle I thought was over, surfaces still.

Maybe it always will.

And maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

For it keeps me desperate for a reassurance I can’t get any other way. It keeps me desperate for God.

I can hear my husband tell me a hundred times that he loves me and no, my backside isn’t big … and yet I still feel my heart desperately twirling.

I can stand in an arena with thousands of people clapping for the message I just gave… and still feel my heart desperately twirling.

I can conquer my food demons and finally fit back into my skinny jeans… and still feel my heart desperately twirling.

The only thing that stops the desperation, the uncertainties, the insecurities, the twirling… is for the Spirit of God to lay across my heart and make it still. The blanket of His presence and His protection is the only perfect fit for the deep creases and crevices carved inside me.

I don’t know what tough things you’ve been through sweet sister, but I do know this: 

Brokenness is universal. We all have things in life that trigger deep insecurities and our own personal “twirling about,” searching for reassurance.

But here’s the amazing thing.

While brokenness is universal, God’s redemption is also universal for those who proclaim Christ as Lord. No matter what cracks and crevices we have in our hearts, if we seek the truth of God above all else, He is enough to fill in those raw places.

Whatever is true… think about such things… And the God of peace will be with you. — Philippians 4:8b, Philippians 4:9b (NIV)

Have you caught your heart twirling, desperate for reassurance lately? Today, spend a few minutes letting these truths fill your mind and seep into those desperate places of your heart:

The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you; but will rejoice over you with singing. — Zephaniah 3:17, NIV

I pray that you… may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. — Ephesians 3:17b, Ephesians 3:18, NIV

Cast all your anxiety on him because He cares for you. — 1 Peter 5:7, NIV

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness’. — Jeremiah 31:3

I pray these truths flood your heart with peace like they do mine. Peace that gives you permission to stop twirling and start to live like you are loved.

Because you are.

Deeply. Abundantly. And without end.

Dear Lord, may Your spirit fall fresh upon each of us today. Remind us. Reassure us. Rest upon us. Help us to be still and know that You are our loving God. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Truth for Today

Psalm 36:5, “Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.” (NIV)

What things trigger your heart to feel desperate? Which of God’s promises speaks most deeply to your places of brokenness? How can you practice living loved today?  Devotionals Daily