The Embrace Is Ongoing: Experiencing the Father’s Love Through the Spirit
"Love doesn’t rush in and out like a tide — it dwells like light that never fades."
The first step experiencing the Father’s love through the Spirit is realizing that we’ve been brought into fellowship with the Father through the Son. But what then? What about the ordinary, weary moments of the day? What about when God’s love seems far off or theoretical?
Here’s the wonder: the indwelling Holy Spirit is not merely a seal of salvation or a source of power for ministry. He is the presence of God within us, actively unveiling the Father's love and making it real to us — not in abstraction, but in lived experience. Romans 5:5 tells us plainly that the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
It’s not an occasional splash of affection. It’s a poured-out, ever-flowing, always-near kind of love. The Spirit reminds us of what the Son has done, and He presses the truth into our inner being until we know that we are loved — even if no one else sees it, even if we didn’t earn it, even if our day says otherwise.
It is the Spirit who testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children (Romans 8:16). It is the Spirit who gently turns our eyes to Jesus so we can rest in the Father. And it is the Spirit who breathes peace into our chaos and whispers, “Abba… You are near.”
So if there’s a longing to experience the Father’s love more fully, the answer isn’t to try harder — it’s to listen. The embrace is ongoing. The love is already present.
Journal Entry – In the Voice of the Holy Spirit
You were made for love — not the fleeting kind that comes and goes with performance, but the anchored, unfailing love that flows from the heart of the Father. That love is not distant, nor is it postponed to a future heaven. It is poured into your heart even now, through Me.
When you sit in silence and notice the ache to belong, I am there, bearing witness that you already do. When you wonder if you’ve drifted too far or disappointed too deeply, I speak a better word: you are beloved. You are accepted in the Beloved.
The world will not confirm this. Your feelings may not reflect it. But I am not hindered by the world or your emotions. I testify with your spirit that you are a child of God. I whisper it when you least expect it. I affirm it when you’re not even asking. I stir joy when you’re overwhelmed and peace when you can’t see the way forward.
The embrace of the Father didn’t end when you first believed. It continues, endlessly, through Me. I don’t just point to the Father — I bring you to Him, again and again, until you rest. I do not force your attention — I gently draw it.
Let My presence in you be the confirmation you need. The Son brought you near. The Father welcomes you in. And I remain with you to make that love your home.
Romans 5:5, Ephesians 1:6, Romans 8:15–16, John 14:26–27
Prayer
Father, thank You that Your love is not a concept but a present, living reality. I trust that Your Spirit within me is continually revealing just how near You are. I rest in Your embrace — not as a memory or a metaphor, but as a present truth. I am not outside looking in. I am not holding my breath, hoping for affection. I am Yours. And Your love has been poured into me by the One who never leaves.
Devotional insights based on personal spiritual reflection. Photo credit: Unsplash.