His Love Endures Forever
I spent the weekend at a retreat center with 12 strangers, for the first of many sessions in which we will gather together over the next 8 months. We were there to learn about spiritual direction. That is a story for another day, but there was an exercise we did together that stood out to me and I think it might resonate with you as well.
This exercise involved us listening to Psalm 136. As the passage was read aloud there was a pause after each line for us to respond - “His love endures forever.” We discussed how this whole chapter is recounting parts of the story of Israel and how after each line there is a remembrance of God’s faithful love.
Parts of this story are beautiful and parts of it are incredibly messy. And yet good or bad the proclamation is made “His love endures forever.” Through every high and every low God’s faithfulness can be seen. We asked what it would look like for us to pause at each part of our story and proclaim “His love endures forever.”
The miscarriage.
His love endures forever.
The celebration of marriage.
His love endures forever.
The loss of a dream.
His love endures forever.
The promotion at work.
His love endures forever.
The experience of hurt within the church.
His love endures forever.
The journey of rediscovery.
His love endures forever.
The _____________________.
His love endures forever.
What if you put each part of your story in the blank? Does that feel easy or hard?
Just like Israel, our stories have beautiful parts and incredibly messy parts. But regardless of the season, the truth is that God is faithful and his love remains. When we tell our story through the lens of God’s faithful love woven from scene to scene I think we will find hope even in the darkest storm.
As I thought about Psalm 136 a few other passages came to mind -
“God is not a man that he might lie, nor a son of man that he might change his mind. Does he speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?” Numbers 23:19
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
God does not change. He does not lie. His mind is never confused. What he says is reliable and true. So in all things we can boldly declare - His love endures forever!
~ Melissa