Steadfast Love
Lamentations 3:22,23 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (NRSV)
God is faithful. That truth rolls so easily off the tongue. Living your life as though that’s true, living your life based on that truth, making decisions, taking steps of faith based on that truth when the chips are down, well, that’s not so easy.
There’s a word that’s used over and over again in the Bible – I know, the Bible you may be thinking – but just cut me some slack here.
It’s the word “steadfast” – and it’s used mostly to describe God’s love. Steadfast love. So I set about discovering what that word really means.
The original Hebrew word, Chêsêd, is variously translated as loving-kindness, devotion, faithfulness, loyalty, mercy and unchanging love.
And whilst it’s used over and over again, it’s this one quote from Lamentations Chapter 3 that really says it all for me:
Lamentations 3:22,23 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (NRSV)
The writer was casting his eye across Jerusalem, which had been destroyed, as an act of God’s punishment for Israel’s unfaithfulness to Him, by the Babylonians in 587 BC. The whole book, as the name suggests, is a lament over what’s happened. But at some point, the truth of God’s love touches this man’s devastated heart.
The truth of a love that never fails, of a love that, come what may, shows fresh mercy every morning. A love that never, ever, ever … comes to an end.
Chêsêd. This isn’t some intellectual word study. The steadfast love of God … really wrapping your heart around that … is nothing short of life-changing.
The steadfast love of the Lord, the Chêsêd of the Lord, never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is his faithfulness.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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Audrey Lamy
You are so on track with what I’ve been seeking, Jesus is here for me. The recent bible versus means so much to me as ...
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You are so on track with what I’ve been seeking, Jesus is here for me. The recent bible versus means so much to me as I’m going through an issue . I got hurt at work and am struggling with forgiveness. It didn’t need to happen if the person had listened to me, I would not have gotten hurt. Hurt enough that I will need a full hip replacement probably with 2-5 years to truly heal the pain. I’m sad and struggling.
Your words are always there to pick me up and remind me that God is always there for me. I need to continue to lean on God and ask him how I can forgive the the other person.