God’s Enduring Love
Psalm 106:1-3 (NIV)
Praise the Lord.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
2 Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord
or fully declare his praise?
3 Blessed are those who act justly,
who always do what is right.
Looking at pictures can be bittersweet. My mom still keeps a collection of photo albums with physical pictures kept safe beneath that sticky piece of plastic. Some memories are reminders of really great days. That’s kind of how I would describe Psalm 105, yesterday’s Psalm. Other pictures remind you of times that weren’t great, situations you’d probably like to forget. That’s especially true when you created the problem. That’s Psalm 106.
The Psalmist just recounted all of the Lord’s wonderful acts on behalf of Israel. He begins Psalm 106 with even more praise. God is good. His love endures forever. Blessed are the people who do right. As he’s about to reveal, that doesn’t describe Israel.
For most of their history, Israel ignored their covenant, or promise, to God. He kept up His side of the promise. They did not. Instead of worshipping God alone, the people turned to idols (Psalm 106:28). Even worse, they sacrificed their own children to these worthless gods. They had hit rock bottom as a nation.
The people were sent off in exile from the land God had promised to give them. This Psalm was probably written and sung during that time. Imagine a group of Jews standing near the banks of a Babylonian river singing this song. It was a reminder of how much they had lost.
All was not lost. God’s love endures forever.
Even when we fail, God doesn’t. His goodness extends far beyond anything we could imagine. That’s what gives us hope when we make a mess of things. God’s love never runs out. Don’t be afraid to look back at the good and the bad from your life. Thank God for the good, but praise Him for bringing you through the difficult times. God is good.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we praise You because You are good. Your love endures forever. Help us to know the height and width and depth of your incredible love for us. Thank You for saving us and redeeming us from our failures. Praise Your holy name. Amen.