We know and rely on the love God has for us. (1 John 4:16)
How do we learn to “rely on the love God has for us”? Through experiencing Him in our life. God not only demonstrated His love for us by suffering and dying on a cross, but He shows us His love everyday if we will simply notice. All the things you can thank God for today are ways that He has proven His love for you. Think about it. That is a lot of love! We must hold on to the ways God has loved us in the past so that we can trust His love in the present and expect it in the future.
Unfortunately, many Christians think they have evidence that God does not love them. They can remember times when they were ridiculed, rejected, or even raped, and worst of all, God felt absent. What do we do with this stuff?
Here, we can only share one limited thought, but an important one. Is it possible that most of those painful things occurred before you were God’s kid? Remember, only those who receive Him have the rights of a child of God (cf. John 1:12). Before that, your “father” was the devil (cf. John 8:44; 1 John 3:10). If you will confine your evidence of God’s love to the time that He has been your Father, you will see that He has guided, protected, blessed, and loved you ever since the day you became His responsibility.
This will fall far short of fully explaining your life. However, it can be a start in understanding that your experiences as an enemy of God have nothing to do with how He treats His friends. Which is exactly what you are. (cf. Romans 5:9-10)