Every day of our lives no matter how hard the struggle we can thank God for His goodness and kindness.
The prophet Jeremiah considered by scholars to be the most likely author of Lamentations pours out his despair and misery on behalf of exiled Judea when they feel forsaken by God and all seems lost. And then, with faith and hope …he writes these very well known and oft repeated verses we know today from many a hymn, worship song, tract, bookmark or card of encouragement. (In fact it was the gift of a coaster with this verse on it that led me to this study.)
“Steadfast “ a rather old fashioned word meaning firmly fixed, not subject to change, firm in belief and determination, loyal and faithful.
These are just a few of many translations of the Hebrew word “hesed” used 242 times in the Old Testament alone. My humble blog can do no justice to such a word that Bible scholars have expounded on for centuries and for which there is no exact equivalent English word.
But try we must to apply these wonderful Bible truths to our everyday lives.
We see this played out constantly, in fact, “steadfastly” through countless lives in the Old and New testaments. Ruth, the prophet Hosea, the father of the prodigal son, David and Jonathan, to name but a few. You can quickly add your own “favourites “to the list.
God will never give up on us. Psalm 138:8
Before the time of Jeremiah and the Jewish exile, David declares throughout the Psalms that God’s steadfast love never ceases, it endures. He too knew times of despair, loneliness and fear along with every other emotion known to man. Times of great sorrow and joy. In Psalm 136 alone “His steadfast love endures forever” is repeated 26 times. I challenge any believer to read this Psalm (aloud if possible) without feeling uplifted and certain of God’s enduring love for us. By faith these verses are an incredibly wonderful safety net around us.
His mercies are new every morning. Every day of our lives no matter how hard the struggle we can thank God for His goodness and kindness. Because His love is never ending so then are His mercies, the outworking of His love. As we confess our sins we can humbly draw near to Him every day with a clean sheet and a fresh start. He keeps no record.
In Psalm 107 David again relates and celebrates God’s daily mercies beginning and ending with the same exhortation to always be thankful.
The mercy of God is worthy of a study all of its own. Taken from the Hebrew “rachum” for which like “hesed” there is no English word. The root of “rachum” means “womb” showing us the nature of this love, as intimate as a mother for her child even before birth, carrying her child, literally close to her heart, before the real challenges of parenting start. As God first loved us.
The nearest we get in various Bible translations is …
strength, protection, assurance, guidance, loving kindness, consolation, support, spiritual gifts, gift of faith, confidence, persistence and added cheerfulness.
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| Bible.com |
And so back to the word “ endure” which means to continue to exist for a long time, to suffer something difficult, unpleasant or even painful. To never give up, to always believe the best whilst accepting second best.
These words describe yet another facet of God’s character. It is perhaps hard to think of our omnipotent God feeling pain and we can’t define Him by our human understanding but we know by his Word that He is full of compassion and so it follows that He feels for us, He cares, He knows. He endures with us in all our trials and sufferings.
He shows us this through the life, death and resurrection of His son Jesus, our Great High Priest, who takes all our anger, doubts, fears and weaknesses and bears with us in every trial and suffering we know. Hebrews 2:16
The very dramatic and challenging life of Paul in the New Testament is, like David before him, another testimony to God’s enduring love through all circumstances. Simply and clearly put in Philippians 1:6, Paul reminds us that “God will fulfil His purposes for our lives.”
He has to because His love is steadfast, His mercies are new every day and He is faithful to endure for us and with us.
There are no greater promises.
May God bless and enrich your life
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