Loved Indeed: Reassurance for the Doubting and Suspicious

Loved Indeed: Reassurance for the Doubting and Suspicious by Dan Cruver

“Do I love God as I should?”

“Does he love me?”

“Does he really declare me righteous and fit to meet him, even though I still sin?”

“How can I be sure?”

Dan Cruver has wrestled with these questions, often to the point of exhaustion and despair. Through the trauma of losing a son and witnessing the plight of orphans on several continents, he has further battled with his thoughts.

This unique book brings us to a place of assurance. Whatever happens, our faith doesn’t depend on feelings, but it is underpinned by the words of our omnipotent God himself. Secure in our heavenly Father’s unconditional love, we relax. Sharing in Christ’s status, we enjoy the astonishing privilege, through the Holy Spirit, of crying, “Abba, Father.”

UK Publication: July 2024
US Publication: September 2024

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Endorsements

“A glorious, living application of Ephesians to the suffering and insecurities of this life. Dan Cruver has given us solid ground to stand on when the waves of life make everything feel unstable. A vulnerable, vivid, honest, biblical, comforting, and hopeful vision of life in a painful world. It’s all here in this short book of divine comfort.”

Tony Reinke
author, 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You

“If I thought that God loved me when I opened this book, when I turned the final page, I knew it. Here is a journey into the open heart of our Father. Dan takes our eyes, ever gazing inward at me, always me, and pivots them to Jesus, always Jesus, our embodied hope and ironclad assurance. Dan also invites us into the most agonizing times of his life to show us that when we too weep in utter darkness, the Spirit is there to reveal that God does not just tolerate or accept us, but that we are loved—Loved Indeed. If you find yourself beaten down by the question, ‘Does God really love me?’ then this book, my friend, is penned for you.”

Chad Bird
Scholar in Residence at 1517,
author, Hitchhiking with Prophets:
A Ride through the Salvation Story of the Old Testament

“The reality of God’s love for us is often the last thing in the world to dawn upon us, particularly when we are acutely aware of our past and present failures. In such moments, it seems impossible to us that the Father could love us. Dan Cruver is right. So, how do we come to truly know that we are loved indeed? Dan takes a fresh look at Paul’s letter to the Ephesians to help Christians in a cosmic struggle to believe the truth of the gospel. He teaches us how to experience the fullness of the Father’s love. The enemy of our faith is a liar. Christ has died to take away our sins and bring us to the Father. When you read Dan’s book, you will be assured of the Father’s eternal commendation: ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.'”

John Fonville
Rector, Paramount Church, Jacksonville, FL,
and author, Hope & Holiness: How the Gospel Enables and Empowers Sexual Purity

“Every pastor, counsellor, and individual who has struggled with knowing and experiencing the love of God should read this book! There are a lot of books that explain God’s love and what we can do for assurance, but this one is unique. Dan Cruver shows how our experience of God’s love is an intense spiritual battle that we all face. This book won’t leave you feeling guilty for not sensing God’s love or give you a to-do list to experience it. It won’t give you new strategies or quick fixes. It will give you gospel hope in the work of God in the person of Christ. It will usher you into resting in the finished work God has done for you and his simple yet mysterious infinite love for you!”

Jason Kovacs
Executive Director of Gospel Care Collective

“Dan Cruver has given us a balm for the aching soul. Whether you are plagued with guilt, doubt, anxious thoughts, or insecurity, you’ll find encouragement from the Scriptures to know that deep down you are loved indeed by the One who made and can heal your heart.”

Catherine Claire Larson
author, As We Forgive: Stories of Reconciliation from Rwanda

“‘How do I know I am saved? I don’t feel that God loves me—how do I know he does? Does he even care I exist?’ Sadly, these are questions that many Christians struggle with daily but are too afraid to tell anyone about. The shame that comes with such doubts crushes the minds and hearts of believers. From his own experience, Dan Cruver sits down with the reader and points him chapter by chapter to the gospel. God’s love for us, not our love for him, produces joy and confidence. Whether you have been following Christ for five days or fifty years, this book will bring comfort to your heart because it reminds you of how amazing God’s love is towards you.”

Jon Moffitt
Pastor, Grace Reformed Church in Spring Hill, Tennessee,
and cohost of the weekly podcast Theocast

“Because we are flesh and blood—and because we are sinners— we tend to be suspicious of God and his love for us. We are prone to view him as harsh, angry, exacting, and threatening. It is even possible for us to twist the work of Christ and think that Jesus has had to convince the Father to reluctantly save us. But that is the design of the Evil One, not God. So, what do we need? To be regularly reminded of God’s love for us. That he smiles on us and rejoices over us. That he delights to save us. That the triune God has planned from all eternity that Jesus would accomplish everything we need for salvation. In this excellent book, Dan Cruver leads us to the unchanging love of God for us, our resting place.”

Justin Perdue
Pastor, Covenant Baptist Church, Asheville, North Carolina

“‘Does God really love me?’ Dan Cruver is refreshingly honest about the question so many of us are afraid to ask out loud. And rather than simply giving us his own reassurance, he points us to the Scriptures and reassures our hearts of the very heart of God for us. I was incredibly blessed by this book. Dan’s willingness to share his incredible and heartfelt story of how he discovered the love of God gives us faith that we might experience this reality as well.”

Laura Story
Executive Director of Worship, Perimeter Church, Atlanta, Georgia