His Steadfast Love

“…His steadfast love endures forever.”  Psalm 136

Dear friends,

“…His steadfast love endures forever.”  Psalm 136

Dear friends,

I have a confession to make.  Most often when I read Psalm 136 I skip alternate lines.  If you open your Bible you’ll see, every verse ends with “…for His steadfast love endures forever.”  So after a handful of steadfasts, I only read first lines.  Why?  Because it seems redundant.  Monotonous.  Overdone.

Oh Lord, forgive my hardened heart and trite thinking!  Really Grace?!  Do you think there might be a reason beyond your pea brain and impatience for repeating again and again “His steadfast love endures forever”?  Maybe God wants me to get it.  (You think??)  So let’s muse on it a moment.

steadfast – firmly fixed in place; immovable; not subject to change; firm in belief, determination or adherence

God’s love for us is firmly fixed in place.  It cannot be changed or moved.  There is absolutely nothing you nor I can do to separate us from God’s love.  (Romans 8:35-39)  His affection for us is reliable.  Constant.  Steady-Eddie. 

His love also endures, defined by Merriam-Webster* as “to regard with acceptance or tolerance; to continue in the same state; last; bear; continue to remain from under suffering or misfortune without yielding.”

Oh honey, can you say “Amen” to a tolerant Father?  One who bears our disbelief, disobedience, doubt, petulance, insubordination, self-absorption, unkindness, haughtiness and selfish sin???  He writes me a love letter, assuring me of His undying affection, and I skip every other line??  Yet He keeps loving me and writing to me.  He tolerates my cranky moods, judgmental thoughts, and selfish acts.  I am unfaithful and flawed, and still His steadfast love endures forever.

Sweet saints, do you ever feel like you’ve disappointed God by ignoring your temple maintenance?  Does the devil have you doubting that God’s presence is firmly fixed in place?  Are you believing a lie that your food and fitness failures tested and toppled His tolerance?  Then you, too, have missed the meat of Psalm 136.  So go grab the Good Book and read it.  Every line.  Massage your mind and sooth your soul with His unabashed faithfulness.

His steadfast love endures forever.

Live Well,

Grace

*1993 edition.  Lawdy, this day and age you never know if words still mean what they used to mean…

I have a confession to make.  Most often when I read Psalm 136 I skip alternate lines.  If you open your Bible you’ll see, every verse ends with “…for His steadfast love endures forever.”  So after a handful of steadfasts, I only read first lines.  Why?  Because it seems redundant.  Monotonous.  Overdone.

Oh Lord, forgive my hardened heart and trite thinking!  Really Grace?!  Do you think there might be a reason beyond your pea brain and impatience for repeating again and again “His steadfast love endures forever”?  Maybe God wants me to get it.  (You think??)  So let’s muse on it a moment.

steadfast – firmly fixed in place; immovable; not subject to change; firm in belief, determination or adherence

God’s love for us is firmly fixed in place.  It cannot be changed or moved.  There is absolutely nothing you nor I can do to separate us from God’s love.  (Romans 8:35-39)  His affection for us is reliable.  Constant.  Steady-Eddie. 

His love also endures, defined by Merriam-Webster as “to regard with acceptance or tolerance; to continue in the same state; last; bear; continue to remain from under suffering or misfortune without yielding.”*

Oh honey, can you say “Amen” to a tolerant Father?  One who bears our disbelief, disobedience, doubt, petulance, insubordination, self-absorption, unkindness, haughtiness and selfish sin???  He writes me a love letter, assuring me of His undying affection, and I skip every other line??  But He keeps loving me and writing to me.  He tolerates my cranky moods, judgmental thoughts, and selfish acts.  I am unfaithful and flawed, and still His steadfast love endures forever.

Sweet saints, do you ever feel like you’ve disappointed God by ignoring your temple maintenance?  Does the devil have you doubting that God’s presence is firmly fixed in place?  Are you believing a lie that your food and fitness failures tested and toppled His tolerance?  Then you, too, have missed the meat of Psalm 136.  So go grab the Good Book and read it.  Every line.  Massage your mind and sooth your soul with His unabashed faithfulness.

His steadfast love endures forever.

Live Well,

Grace

*1993 edition.  Lawdy, this day and age you never know if words still mean what they used to mean…