For you reach into my heart. With one flash of your eyes, I am undone by your love, my beloved, my equal, my bride. You leave me breathless—I am overcome by merely a glance from your worshiping eyes, for you have stolen my heart. I am held hostage by your love and by the graces of righteousness shining upon you. Song of Solomon 4:9
I Have a Question for You
The other day, the Lord asked me a question. “Do you love what I love and hate what I hate?” This is a bit of a curious question. It would be easy to respond flippantly, but I have learned that God doesn’t ask these kinds of questions without reason, and it is best to consider carefully before answering.
Of course, I want to believe I am always on the same page with God when it comes to what He loves and hates. But if I’m honest, that’s only partially true. While I have spent most of my life striving to please Him, the subtle creep of compromise is always looking for a way into my life, and at times I have given in to temptation. This isn’t necessarily a blatant sin issue, but to be honest, anytime I choose my way over God’s, I have missed the mark.
As I continued to ponder the question, “Do you love what I love?” I began to wonder if the point of the question was not to introduce judgment into my interactions with others or to create an awareness of sin. Instead, I believe the answer He was looking for wasn’t as much about an awareness of right and wrong that comes from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, or even a test to see if I could solve a riddle without all the clues. It was truly a moment of vulnerability. God was offering me an authentic window into His world and His heart.
Peter’s Breakfast on the Beach
After the death of Jesus, Peter was the first to announce his return to fishing, and so the others followed. After being out all night on the boat, Peter saw Jesus on the shore. In bold, Peter style, he didn’t wait for the others; he jumped into the water and swam to see Him.
Jesus had come to have breakfast with Peter and the disciples, and it was there, on the shore, that He intentionally engaged with Peter. The point of the conversation was to reaffirm His love for him and to revisit his assignment.
It was the moment God invited Peter to answer this question. “Peter, do you love me? If you love me, feed my sheep.” In other words, do you have the courage to leave behind the failure of your past and pursue what matters to me?
What I love about this interaction is that Peter didn’t put on a happy face or tell Jesus what he thought He wanted to hear. He was authentically honest in the moment about the level of agape he could muster. Peter was keenly aware of his past, the loud declarations of certainty followed by failure. So, his answer was a commitment of devotion, not of perfection.
That morning on the beach, Peter saw the state of his own heart, but even more importantly, he gained a deeper understanding of Jesus and His love for the world. Jesus wasn’t teaching Peter a lesson; He was redefining their relationship and pulling him into alignment with His heart.
Life has a way of coming full circle. Jesus initially called Peter to “fish for men” when they first met on the beach three years earlier. The assignment hadn’t been withdrawn or changed. It was the question that prompted Peter to move past his disappointment and disillusionment and return to his purpose. Maybe, for the first time, he actually understood what Jesus had meant.
We know the rest of the story: Peter was the one who preached with boldness, healed the sick, and demonstrated the kingdom. His life, his voice, and his obedience were integral to the growth of the early church. The probing question is what provoked him to healing, transformation and action.
God’s Question to Me
Like Peter, God’s question, “Do you love what I love and hate what I hate?” offered me a moment of honest reflection; an opportunity to rethink, refocus, and reorient myself in His direction, to see things from His perspective. I believe He wasn’t trying to teach me something as much as He was giving me access to Himself. It was a revelation that He loves me and hates distance and disconnect.
He had my attention when He asked the question, but He had my heart when I realized that it wasn’t a test; it was an invitation to a deeper relationship. He knows that in those quiet, intimate moments, a stronger connection would form—something understood only by the heart. It was there, in the place of vulnerability, that I began to get a clear sense of what truly matters and what He loves and hates.
What is God really after?
When God comes to us with a question, the tendency can be to make ourselves look better, more holy, and more spiritual and yet God knows the state of our heart and the truthfulness of our response. It is funny that we think we can fool God with our language.
What if God is really after authentic relationship? Not one overshadowed by performance or shame over past failures, but one rooted in the present. One where He opens His heart and gives us access to His world. A place where we better understand that love is what motivates Him, and what He hates most is anything that separates us from experiencing the fullness of that love.
It can be intimidating to think that the God of the universe would come close enough to ask a question, reveal His heart and invite us to know Him more intimately. But that is exactly what He does.
What question is God asking you today? It isn’t a test; it’s an invitation.