In
reading some of the Psalms recently, I was struck with how frequently God's
steadfast love is mentioned. It is mentioned over 120 times in the 150 Psalms.
One passage that particularly stood out to me was Psalm 36:7-9:
How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of
mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the
abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river
of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.
Wow!
What an invitation to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord, (Psalm 27:4,) bask in
his Light and drink his delights. All of Scripture explicitly reveals God's
steadfast love toward us through Christ.
In
Exodus 20, the Lord gives us the Ten Commandments. After the second
commandment, the Lord tells us:
I the Lord your God am a jealous
God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and
the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love
to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. Exodus
20:5b-6
The Lord shows steadfast love to those who love him
and keep his commandments. That begs the questions:
Who
has kept the Lord’s law? Who has loved the Lord?
God
tells us the answers:
As it is
written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside;
together they have become worthless; no one does good, not
even one.” Romans 3:10-12
For the mind that is set on the flesh
is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it
cannot. Those
who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:7-8
God
also tells us:
For by works of the
law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes
knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20
How
then, can it be it be, that thousands love God and keep his commandments? In a
word, the answer is Jesus.
Christ
loved God and kept his commandments. Christ bore our sins on the cross and he
clothes us in his righteousness when we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians
2:8-9.)
For
one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person
one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in
that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:7-8
For our sake he made
him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness
of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21
As 2 Corinthians
9:15 says: “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” Mercy is bestowed on the unmerciful. Love
is given to the unlovable. God's life was poured out to bring life to the
spiritually dead. Death dies at the cross and new life is born as sinners are
raised from the grave with their Savior. God created a people in his
image, knowing they would rebel against him. He chose a people for himself
before he created them (Ephesians 1:4.) God’s steadfast love has no beginning
or end. He keeps us to the end of our pilgrimage and brings us
safely home.
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in
mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his
death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach
before him, if indeed you continue in the
faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel
that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under
heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. Colossians 1:21-23
God’s love is
steadfast in the valley of the shadow of death and in sunny days. I love Betty Alden Stam’s poem “Stand Still,
And See.” The poem is Betty’s reflection of Exodus 14:13 and tells of God’s
steadfast love amidst hard providences.
“I'm Standing, Lord.
There is a mist that blinds my sight.
Steep jagged rocks, front, left, and right.
Lower, dim, gigantic, in the night.
Where is the way?
“I’m Standing, Lord.
The black rock hems me in behind.
Above my head a moaning wind
Chills and oppresses heart and mind.
I am afraid!
“I’m Standing, Lord.
The rock is hard beneath my feet.
I nearly slipped, Lord, on the sleet.
So weary, Lord, and where a seat?
Still must I stand? "
He answered me, and on His face
A look ineffable of grace,
Of perfect, understanding love,
Which all my murmuring did remove.
“I’m Standing, Lord.
Since Thou hast spoken, Lord, I see
Thou hast beset; these rocks are Thee;
And, since Thy love encloses me,
I stand and sing!"
There is a mist that blinds my sight.
Steep jagged rocks, front, left, and right.
Lower, dim, gigantic, in the night.
Where is the way?
“I’m Standing, Lord.
The black rock hems me in behind.
Above my head a moaning wind
Chills and oppresses heart and mind.
I am afraid!
“I’m Standing, Lord.
The rock is hard beneath my feet.
I nearly slipped, Lord, on the sleet.
So weary, Lord, and where a seat?
Still must I stand? "
He answered me, and on His face
A look ineffable of grace,
Of perfect, understanding love,
Which all my murmuring did remove.
“I’m Standing, Lord.
Since Thou hast spoken, Lord, I see
Thou hast beset; these rocks are Thee;
And, since Thy love encloses me,
I stand and sing!"
Betty was a missionary to China in the 1930’s. She
and her husband were martyred for their faith. In steadfast love, God redeemed
them from their sins, brought them through providences that worked together for
their good, (Romans 8:28,) and carried them home.
In
closing I would like to share a poem I wrote while reflecting on God’s
steadfast love.
When
did you love me O Holy One?
Always.
Before the World began
Before
you formed me in your hands
When
you sent your Son to die
For
a loveless vile transgressor
Bitter
spikes pierced Righteousness
When
you said: Thy will be done
Bearing
my sin, a crushing boulder
A
curse upon the tree
When
on that glorious day
You
rose, death’s power broken
A
victor of the grave
When
I, a dead man walking
Drank
sorrows and smiled at demise
You
tended me with everlasting water
When
I sin, you aren’t sent reeling
With
healing touch, tenderly you wound
Ever
loving, faithful Friend
When
on the day you call me home
To
see your face and sin no more
When
did you love me? Always and forever.
