As you read the Psalms, a recurring theme emerges: the steadfast love of the Lord. Last week, we saw this in Psalm 103:8: “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love.” We will reencounter it this Sunday in Psalm 90:14: “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.”
The term “steadfast love,” or “hesed” in Hebrew, appears 200 times in the Bible and 127 times in the Psalms. Steadfast love refers to the Lord’s loyal love. God is unfailing in His kindness; He is good and merciful to those who belong to Him and is faithful to His covenant with us. He calls His people “His treasured possession” (Exodus 19:5). Deuteronomy 7:9 reminds us: “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations.”
This truth is wonderful news as we navigate life’s trials, temptations, and doubts. I moved too many times to count in my first forty years of life. All the moves made sense at the time, but in my twenties and thirties, I was searching for a place to belong, to be loved. It is a growing realization that I am in a covenant relationship with the Lord, who is faithful and loves me wherever I go. The Lord is dependable; He is not inattentive and is aware of our situation — all of which are under His sovereign control. The often-quoted passage from Romans 8:28 is worth cherishing: “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” Jeremiah echoes this truth in Lamentations 3:22: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end.” Jeremiah wrote this when God’s people felt forsaken and he was suffering.
God’s hesed love is not transactional but deeply relational — more akin to a marriage than a business contract. We should pray to God to reveal His steadfast love and give thanks, even in the midst of trials, troubles, inconveniences, and challenges. Look to Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of the Lord’s steadfast love as you reflect on the cross and receive His grace and mercy. As 1 John 4:10 states: “The love of God was made manifest among us. Not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be a propitiation for our sin.”
How I feel about God or what I think he should be like does not define the truth of who He is. The truth lies in who God has revealed Himself to be. As God transforms my thoughts and emotions into alignment with His true nature, I encounter the living God and come to realize that “His steadfast love is better than life” (Psalm 63:3).
