We've all experienced a change in another person's love towards us. Whether it was a simple childhood "we're not friends anymore" that lasted for 5 minutes, or the gut-wrenching betrayal of an ended marriage, whether it was unjustified or entirely our fault, at some point we've all felt the sting of lost love.
And because of this, we all assume that God's love is fickle and flinching. When we're doing well and good, when our lives are in order and the sun is shining, it's easy to feel Him smiling upon us. But when we mess up, when we sin, when our kids are rebellious and our marriage is cold, when we lose our temper or our jobs, or let evil thoughts reign in our minds, then we feel certain that God's love, like every love we've ever known, cools off or even ceases. This is how everyone we've ever known has treated us, so wouldn't God's love be the same?
The good news is no: God gives us what I like to call "100%-Max-Ultra-Power love"! His love towards us, His children, is always at the highest possible degree! It doesn't even flicker, doesn't ever drop down to even 99%, or 99.999999%. His love towards you is full and complete, because in Christ your sins have been removed "as far as the east is from the west" (Ps 103:12). And on top of that, you've been given Christ's righteousness, meaning you have been credited with every good work Jesus ever did (2 Cor 5:21). It is as impossible for God to love you any less than He could love His own son less.
But what about when bad things happen and hard times come? Christians still get sick and hurt; they feel sorrow and loss. My friend, this is not when God has abandoned us to the valley, but when He leads us through it. In His unfathomable wisdom He carefully orders our steps in a way that is for our best and His glory, but sometimes that path takes us through the valley. The good news is that not only will He remain by your side the entire way, but when you emerge again into the light, you will be in a better place - and you will be a better person - than before. So when you find yourself there, cling all the more tightly to Him, in prayer and in scripture, trusting in the promise that He "will not leave you or forsake you" (Josh 1:5).