Billy Bigelow is a barker—a colorful, fast-talking character who attracts crowds at the gates of an old-fashioned carnival. He is the hero of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel. Bigelow is rowdy, restless, proud, and given to fist-fights and carousing. But something good happens to him at the beginning of the story: He meets and marries Julie Jordan. Their marriage, however, is filled with quarreling. Bigelow has lost his job, and his shady friends invite him to help commit a robbery. Then, as he considers the offer, Billy Bigelow’s world is changed. He learns that he and Julie are going to become parents.

To demonstrate Bigelow’s deep joy and exhilaration, Rodgers and Hammerstein give their hero a lengthy song called “Soliloquy.” It’s about three times the length of a typical Broadway song. The macho Bigelow imagines a son, a namesake, who will be rough-and-ready, strong enough to do any job he takes on: “My boy Bill, he’ll be tall and tough as a tree, will Bill!” The father-to-be glories over the wonderful possibilities. Maybe he’ll be a carnival barker like his old man, or maybe he’ll be elected president. Anything is possible for this child.

And then a sudden realization hits Bigelow—What if the baby is a girl? The song comes to a screeching halt. But not for long. As he considers the possibility of having a sweet little duplicate of his wife, he warms to the idea and begins to sing of his concerns about how to raise a little girl. But finally, with fists clenched in firm resolve, he bellows at the top of his range, “I’ll try, I’ll try, I’ll try!” Whatever is required, that’s what he will do, for a daughter needs a father.

Here’s my point in relating this story: It doesn’t matter whether Bigelow has a son or a daughter; he is already head-over-heels in love with a child who won’t arrive for several months. His life has found a theme.

Tragically, Bigelow concludes that he will need money to be a good father, and he dies trying to steal it. Later, he returns as a spirit to see his little girl grown strong and proud, just as he predicted. Carousel gets its ideas of heaven and salvation all wrong, but its depiction of a father’s love for his unborn child is right on the money. We recognize it from our own experience.

When a young couple announces that a baby is on the way, everyone tells them, “It’ll change your life!” But the fact is, they are already changed. From the first moment of anticipation, they see themselves in a different light. They find that it’s possible to be deeply in love with a tiny human being they’ve never met. They brim with dreams of the things they’ll do with their child—taking trips to the beach, getting a puppy, learning about God. Until that child is born, father and mother will think of little else; after the child is born, they will devote themselves fully to their precious offspring.

Where did this powerful love come from? The answer: It’s an inherited trait. We are made in the image of a heavenly Father who felt the same deep joy before we were born, but His love is even more powerful, more boundless. You know that God loves you now, but do you realize that He always has—even before you were born? Even before the world was created? He has loved you from the very foundation of time. Let’s explore what the Bible says about God’s relationship with you before you were born.

David Jeremiah, God Loves You: He Always Has--He Always Will (New York City, NY: FaithWords, 2012).

We have just released a new Bible Study based on the book: God Loves You: He Always Has; He Always Will, by David Jeremiah

These lessons are available on Amazon, as we as a part of my Good Questions Have Groups Talking Subscription Service. Like Netflix for Bible Lessons, one low subscription gives you access to all our lessons--thousands of them. For a medium-sized church, lessons are as little as $10 per teacher per year.

Lessons include:

God Loves You, Lesson #1
God Is Love

God Loves You, Lesson #2
God Carved His Love in Stone    

God Loves You, Lesson #3
God’s Love for You Never Quits

God Loves You, Lesson #4
God Wrote His Love in Red

God Loves You, Lesson #5
God Loves You Even When You Don’t Love Him

God Loves You, Lesson #6
God Loves You Even When He’s Correcting You

God Loves You, Lesson #7
God’s Love Will Never Let You Go

God Loves You, Lesson #8
God Loves You and Wants You to Live with Him Forever

Each lesson consists of 20 or so ready-to-use questions that get groups talking. Answers are provided in the form of quotes from respected authors such as John Piper, Max Lucado and Beth Moore.

These lessons will save you time as well as provide deep insights from some of the great writers and thinkers from today and generations past.  I also include quotes from the same commentaries that your pastor uses in sermon preparation.

Ultimately, the goal is to create conversations that change lives.