Allow God’s Steadfast Love to Change You

It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
and rescued us from our foes,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
he who gives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

Psalm 136:23-26

His steadfast love. His firm and unwavering love.

As we read through the Psalms, we recognize the importance of God’s steadfast love due to the sheer number of times it is used. As we read and pray the Psalms, we can allow this phrase to sink into our hearts and then let it spur us on to love others with that same kind of steadfastness. We can pause to appreciate what it really means for God to love us with a love that does not change or disappear with our fickle attitudes and actions. We can look at the relationships in our lives and desire to love and serve others with that same steadfastness God shows us in order to display the amazing power and grace of our God.

First, meditate on the fact that God loves us in a way that does not change.

In a culture that appreciates bold and exciting spurts of love, fame and power, steadfastness can be overlooked as unexciting. But, if you have been through anything that has left you to feel unlovable, then you know how meaningful steadfast love can be. It is a love that is unchanging when we are at our best and at our worst, and it is a more beautiful and meaningful love than any cinema or television show could capture.

Second, as we strive to love others, seek out those whom the world would consider “in lowly estate.”

Seek out the poor and marginalized in our city to show them the love of Christ through desiring to know and serve them. Show them love that is steadfast and unwavering, that does not change based on comfort or convenience, but is based on an overflow of knowing God’s unwavering love for you. And even more, consider how he chose to show this love to us at a time when we were completely helpless and unlovable. Consider the time and consistency needed to express steadfast love for someone. It typically won’t happen in an afternoon, but through the longer process of loving, knowing, and serving another person.

Last, realize that we will always fail, even when we try our best to love the poor and marginalized with a steadfast love.

We will have moments where our love is lacking. We will have moments where we choose to withhold love due to our own self interests. We need to be prepared to face these moments with the people that we are seeking to love and serve. These moments should not be moments to shrink back or moments of shame, but these should be moments where we point our incompleteness to the completeness of God. Where our longing to show steadfast love doesn’t cause us to desire to be perfect, but that is does cause us to help people long for the day when we will all experience the steadfast love of God without the impact of sin and brokenness. We can know that a day is coming where everything that mars our knowing and trusting in the steadfast love of God will be removed and every broken part of our relationship with God will be restored. And then we will know his steadfast, unwavering, and firm love.

This love does not end when we fail. This love does not end when we die.

“for his steadfast love endures forever.”

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Freeman Field grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and went on to study Economics at Baylor University and The University of Texas San Antonio. Currently, Freeman is an Associate Minister at Apostles Church Uptown, primarily focusing on kids, families, mercy and justice. He lives in Harlem with his wife Candace and their two children, Fairley and J.D.