His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

Bible Reading: Psalm 136

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast live endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1)

The Old Testament stories all add up to show God’s enduring faithfulness to all His people. In the beginning, after man fell into sin, God cursed man, yet also made a promise. To the serpent, God said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). God promised that one day, a descendant of Eve would defeat and overcome the evil one. This descendant is Jesus as we know it today. 

However, between this promise and the death and resurrection of Jesus, many years and many generations passed. If someone made a promise to you and never fulfilled it after a year, would you not forget about it? God made a promise to humanity, yet, the fulfilment never came until millenniums later. 

The Old Testament story is a beautiful story of God’s active and continual faithfulness to His people. God leads, teaches, and loves His sinful and broken people, ultimately leading them to the coming of the Messiah who would be able to save them from their corruption. 

The Psalmist in Psalm 136 celebrates God’s enduring faithfulness. This psalm is more likely a congregational psalm where the priest and Israelite congregation praised this psalm with a call and response. This psalm celebrated and served as a reminder of God’s everlasting steadfast love. 

Firstly, v. 6 says, “to him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever”. God is faithful from the day of creation. 

v. 10 – 16 celebrate God’s faithfulness as He led Israel out of captivity in Egypt. It celebrates how God led His people through the Red sea and through to safety from the Egyptians. 

v. 17 – 22 then recounts how God lead the Israelites through the wilderness and into the Promised Land. It reminds us of God’s faithfulness that paved the way in battle and brought victory to those who relied on Him into the Promised Land. 

Lastly, v. 23 – 26 thank God for His enduring faithfulness that continually remembers His people in their lowly estates. When they are weak or in danger, God is faithful. He feeds and provides food, and He never lacks to provide. 

All of these manifestations of God’s faithfulness point to God’s ultimate love, that is, Christ. Christ came for us to die as a propitiation for our sins so that we might be made right with God. God’s faithfulness in the little things points to God’s ultimate love and care for His people. God has already supplied our greatest need in the fulfilment of His promise to send Christ as our Saviour. In Him, we have reconciliation with God and the ability to have a relationship with Him. 

If God has been faithful to all of Israel throughout the many years in the Old Testament, and He has been faithful to send Christ a saviour for us, how much more will God continually be faithful to His church today? How much more will God’s faithfulness endure to provide and guide our small and insignificant lives? 

“Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 136:26).

Lord, thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You that we can always trust in You. Thank You that You have a plan that is bigger than all of us. Teach us to obey You and follow Your ways. Strengthen us when our faith wavers and doubts. Strengthen us to keep walking with You and to keep fighting for Your kingdom here on earth. In Jesus’ name, amen.