God's Love Reaches the Unreachable: Finding Hope in Your Mess

When we think about God's love, it can be difficult to grasp just how deep and far-reaching it truly is. Today, we explore a powerful truth: God's love is willing to go as far as it needs to reach anyone, regardless of their past, their failures, or their perceived inadequacies.

Can God Love Someone Who Has Done the Unthinkable?

Consider the story of Carla Faye Tucker, who at 3:00 AM on June 13, 1983, committed a brutal double homicide while high on drugs. Her life had been a downward spiral from childhood - using drugs at age 7, dropping out of school by seventh grade, and following her mother into prostitution by age 14. She seemed to represent the lowest of lows, someone many would consider beyond redemption.

Yet while awaiting trial, Carla Faye met Christ and discovered something life-changing: despite her horrendous deeds and hardened heart, God loved her. During her 14 years on death row, she studied the Bible, saved inmates from suicide, and encouraged countless others. When interviewed by Larry King on national television, she radiated joy that couldn't be explained by anything other than God's transforming love.

Even at her execution in 1998, her last words pointed to Jesus: "I love you all very much. I will see you when you get there. I will wait for you."

Why Does God Choose Unlikely People?

This pattern of God choosing the unlikely isn't new. Look at Moses - a man with a criminal past, deep identity issues, and a speech impediment. When God called him at the burning bush, Moses immediately focused on his inadequacies rather than God's capabilities.

Moses: A Man with Serious Issues

Moses had every reason to feel unqualified:

• He was a Hebrew raised in Egyptian royalty (identity crisis)

• He was a murderer who had killed an Egyptian soldier

• He was exiled to the backside of the desert

• He had a speech impediment that made him "slow of speech"

When God called Moses to confront Pharaoh, Moses essentially said, "God, I can't do this. I have a stuttering problem. How can I speak to the most powerful man in the world?"

God's Response to Our Inadequacies

God's response to Moses reveals something profound about how He views our limitations. In Hebrew, when Moses emphasized "I am slow to speech," he used the word "anoki" (I). But God responded with the same "anoki" when He said, "Who has made man's mouth? Is it not I, the Lord?"

This becomes a battle of which "I" has what it takes. Moses was saying, "I don't have what it takes," but God was saying, "You're talking to the I AM, and I do have what it takes."

What Does God Really Want From Us?

Here's the revolutionary truth: God's primary desire isn't for you to do something for Him. His primary desire is to be in relationship with you. The mission comes later, flowing out of that love relationship.

We see this clearly in Exodus 33, where God speaks to Moses "face to face, as a man speaks to his friend." Despite Moses being a "messed up dude," God considered him a friend. This wasn't about Moses' performance - it was about God's pursuit of relationship.

The Pattern of God's Love

The pattern is consistent:

1. God pursues us in love (not because we loved Him first)

2. We enter into relationship with Him

3. He invites us into His mission

4. He works through us despite our mess

As 1 John 4:10 says: "In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

Your Past Doesn't Disqualify You

Maybe you think you're disqualified from being used by God. Maybe you believe it in theory but struggle to experience it in your heart. The truth is that God's love is more powerful than:

• Your past failures

• Your current handicaps

• Your perceived inadequacies

• Your mental health struggles

• Your family background

Making Friends with Reality

Here are three realities to embrace:

1. Jesus loves you more than anything you can imagine- This isn't just a nice saying; it's the foundational truth of existence.

2. Regardless of your "thing," God still loves you and calls you into mission- Whatever your thorn in the side, whatever decision you made years ago, God's love remains unchanged.

3. He's approachable- You can come to Him exactly as you are, with all your mess and questions.

The Healing That Comes Through Love

When you allow God to love you as He wants to, something remarkable happens. Moses, the man with the stuttering problem and criminal past, gained the confidence to part the Red Sea and lead 2 million people through the desert.

The same God who transformed Moses and Carla Faye Tucker wants to bring healing and confidence into your life. It's not about what you can do for Him - it's about what He's doing and inviting you to partner with Him.

Life Application

This week, your challenge is to stop trying to control your life and let God love you deeply. Approach Him with this simple prayer: "God, I'm here. Love me how I need to be loved. I need help because I don't know how to let you love me. Touch my heart and make me available for whatever mission you have."

Ask yourself these questions:

• What "inadequacy" have I been using as an excuse to avoid deeper relationship with God?

• How can I stop focusing on my limitations and start focusing on God's capabilities?

• Am I trying to earn God's love through performance, or am I allowing myself to simply receive it?

• What would change in my life if I truly believed God wants relationship with me more than He wants me to do things for Him?

Remember: You are good enough because He's good enough. You have what it takes because He has what it takes. Your love relationship with God is the most important and powerful aspect of your entire existence - more powerful than your past, your handicaps, and your failures.

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