To Know God is to Love God! This is learned, not automatic!

Brothers and sisters, today, I want to explore a question that is both deeply personal and eternally significant:

How do we know that God knows and loves each one of us—individually?

This question matters because how we answer it shapes how we live, if we repent, how we forgive ourselves, and if we truly trust God with our future.

First, we know God knows and loves us because He reveals Himself to us.

God restored the gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith, not as an abstract act of history, but as a personal expression of love. The Restoration tells us that God is not distant or silent—He is actively involved.

The Lord declared:

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
— Jeremiah 29:11

A God who restores truth and His Gospel is a God who cares deeply about His children finding their way back to Him.

Second, we know God loves us because He gave His Only Begotten Son.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the clearest, most powerful evidence of God’s love. Christ did not suffer for humanity in general—He suffered for each of us personally.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.”
— John 3:16

“Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.”
— Doctrine & Covenants 18:10

That includes your soul. My soul. Every soul in this room. In fact, every soul on earth.

I know God loves me because He never gave up on me.

He patiently waited for me to recognize the wrongs in my ways and to repent. And it wasn’t until I truly understood that I am a child of God that I was finally able to forgive myself—for my transgressions against my covenants, myself, and others.

Moreover, once we understand who we really are… that we are children of a kind, loving, patient, omnipotent and omniscient God, repentance stops feeling like punishment and starts feeling like coming home.

Repentance is cleansing and empowering.

“I will arise and go to my father.”
— Luke 15:18

For some of us recognizing God’s hand in our lives is often the first step toward change and in our spiritual growth.   You’ve probably heard the story of the man stranded on his roof during a flood. He refuses help, saying, “God will save me.” A life jacket comes—he refuses it. A boat comes—he refuses it. A helicopter comes—he refuses it. He dies and asks God why He didn’t save him.

God replies, “I sent you a life jacket, a boat, and a helicopter.”

Brothers and sisters, God is constantly reaching out to us—often through very ordinary means, circumstances and people. We are given chances, again and again, to wake up and change course. When we realize we are children of a real, living God, life begins to make sense—not because it becomes easy, but because it becomes purposeful.

When we learn to listen to and feel the inspirations of the Holy Ghost,  we   recognize God’s guidance; we begin to nurture a relationship with Him and the Holy Ghost.

Listening to Him requires hearts and minds that are not weighed down by guilt or fear.

Are you thinking about switching careers but hesitating?
Are you continually postponing an important decision?

Sometimes those quiet nudges are not coincidence. Sometimes they are God inviting us to change course, move forward and take control of our life’s path.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
— Proverbs 3:5

When God feels silent, maybe we have to repent, to pray, to change our prayer, to be patient, to open the scriptures….

Let’s go a little deeper.

Have you ever felt like you don’t know what God’s plan is for you?
Have you wondered if everyone else seems to have a clearer connection with God than you do?

Here is something I have learned since joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints:

God has always loved me and been present— but He was silent because I wasn’t ready to listen and act upon what I heard and felt.

When our agency moves out of alignment with His will, the Holy Ghost may withdraw—not as punishment, but as an invitation to us to pause, reflect, reconsider and repent.

“My Spirit shall not always strive with man.”
— Genesis 6:3

Yet, the moment there is heartfelt repentance—true contrition and humility—the Spirit returns. When we submit our will to God, we make room again for the Holy Ghost to reside within us.

“Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you.”
— Doctrine & Covenants 88:63

So again I ask, how do we know God knows and loves each one of us?

Because we are His children and knowing our divine identity is the cornerstone of our journey to change and finding inner peace.

Understanding that we belong to the Creator of the Universe restores a deep sense of meaning and belonging. Knowing and embracing God’s love is truly life-changing.

I used to describe myself as a God-fearing Christian. Now, I say I am a God-loving Christian—because I know our Heavenly Father unequivocally loves me and does not hold my past, for which I have repented, against me! Thank you Jesus!

Elder Alan T. Phillips taught:

“We shouldn’t misunderstand or devalue how important we are to our Father in Heaven… Where there is design, there is a designer.”
— October 2023 General Conference

Our lives are not accidental. Our existence is intentional.

Our Covenants, Our Christ, and Rest for Our Souls

The gospel of Jesus Christ gives us divine identity and individual purpose.

God’s gift of His Son for our Atonement is His supreme expression of love. It provides for our redemption, healing, and a clear path back to Him—through Christ, our Redeemer and Rescuer.

“Come unto me… and I will give you rest.”
— Matthew 11:28–29

When we make and keep sacred covenants, we yoke ourselves to Christ—and that yoke brings strength, peace, and rest to our souls. Please stop and consider a parent’s love and God’s Perfect Love. I often tell my children that I love them with all my heart and soul. If you are a parent, you understand that kind of love—immense and immeasurable… that you would take a bullet for them without hesitation.

Now consider this:
If imperfect, earthly parents can love their children so deeply, how much greater must the love be of a perfect, omniscient, omnipotent Heavenly Father- He  who manufactured the entire universe?

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.”
— 1 John 3:1

When you initiate your spiritual journey, it is very important to understand faith is learned before it takes root in our heart and soul.  Faith requires effort. We live in a world that often believes only what can be seen. Yet some of the most real things in a Christian’s life—God’s love, divine guidance, joy and peace—are felt, not seen.

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
— Hebrews 11:1

God’s design may not always be visible, but its manifestations, with time and our endurance, become obvious through changed hearts, changed lives, and redeemed souls.

I testify that Jesus Christ wants each of us to know our Heavenly Father and to develop  a real relationship with Him. I testify that He is patiently waiting for us to come unto Him.

I testify that God’s love is what we first experience. Then, as we we do our personal work,repentance, reading scripture, helping others, etc., this relationship, His love for each one of us and our growing love for Him slowly become exemplified and expressed through how we speak, how we act, and how we live.

I testify that our relationship with Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, evolves and grows not because they change, but because, hopefully, we do.

I further testify:

- God knows us.
- He loves you.
- He has not forgotten you.
- Through Jesus Christ, He has provided a way home for each of us.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.