Nothing But Love in All of His Places ~ From Country Refrain to a Hymn of Grace

~ Psalm 145:9

The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.

The Problem:

Over four decades ago, the film Urban Cowboy gave us a number-one hit that captured a timeless human dilemma: "Lookin' for Love in All the Wrong Places." The song made Johnny Lee an overnight star because it resonated with a sad, universal truth. Most of us, especially in our youth, have searched for connection in unsuitable places.

Back then, our peers rarely judged, as they were too busy making their own poor choices. Our elders might have excused our behavior with a knowing smile, saying, “They’re just sowing their wild oats and praying for a crop failure!” The problem is, even as people get older, they often keep looking for love with the same broken GPS.

One might think that if we could simply define "love," we could pinpoint its location on a map. But far be it from me to attempt such a thing. Throughout history, the most skilled among us—from poets to priests—have tried to capture the intricate meaning of this single emotion, yet the quest continues for what another songwriter called the "elusive butterfly of love."

This leaves us with the same questions that fill our songbooks: "Where is the love?" and "How can you mend a broken heart?" It begs the final, crucial questions: Is the entire search futile? Is there no “correct place” to find love? If there is, where do we even begin?

The Promise:

So, where is the right place to look for love? The answer is right here in God’s Word, available in every language across the globe. But, the real question is, do we understand God’s love when we see it? Do we experience it personally and show it to others? If not, perhaps our faith has not yet reached the size of a mustard seed, because the signs of His love are constant. Every breath is a touch from His fingertip; every heartbeat is a gift. Each new day is an expression of His grace alone.

The hard truth is that we keep looking in "all the wrong places" because we fail to look to Him. God is love. It’s His very nature, His divine theme song: "Nothing but Love in All of His Places." His love was present from the beginning, and its greatest expression came two thousand years ago when His Son, Jesus Christ, died for us at Calvary. There is no greater love, and that anthem of salvation should still be number one on the chart of our hearts.

Perhaps we, as His followers, have let our public relations campaign falter. We don't need to reinvent the wheel, but we do need to dust off our core message and make it popular again. Let me try, please: "Love God; love one another." That's it! Five words. It's simple, powerful, and has a message you can build a life on.

The Lord loves every person more passionately than any earthly father could love his own child. Our finite minds, damaged by a worldly understanding of love, can't fully grasp this. But Creation witnessed its reality when Jesus sacrificed Himself for us. Sacrifice and love—those two words fit together perfectly. When we understand their connection, we are finally looking in all the right places.

Are you ready to sing a new song, or are you still humming that old, sad country refrain? It’s time to change the lyrics. You can find better ones written for you in the Finer Print of God's Word.

~ Psalm 145:9

The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.

 Happy Father’s Day, Abba!