The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.
Psalm 25:10 NLT
I find ‘unfailing’ a difficult word to comprehend. Living in Britain, I have grown up confident that the weather that greets me in the morning will have completely changed by lunchtime. I cannot rely upon weather, nor the weather forecaster who advises me on the day ahead. So I’m unsurprised by the nature of my character which is equally changeable. I move from affability to tetchiness as easily as sunshine gives way to rain.
So, the idea of a character who never changes is difficult to comprehend, even harder to trust. Yet this is how our God is described. A lover who never falters. A love that’s consistent in its intensity. Such constant love is the very definition of faithfulness.
Often, I feel distant from God. My prayers appear unanswered, or answered with a response I find less than consoling. I apply my inconsistency to my apparent friendship with God, who I can barely discern. Doubt, disappointment and frustration arise and, due to the discomfort they create within me, I direct them all at God, blaming him for my current condition.
Just as when I get caught in the rain unexpectedly and know the weather will change soon, so God invites me to weather my personal crises in the expectation that life will change. Why? Because God’s love is unfailing, and he is faithful to his promise. The greater challenge is that weather is measurable while God’s unfailing love is intangible. True faith is anticipating a change in the weather without any evidence, apart from God’s promise. Learning to live with a confidence in God’s love that mirrors the consistency of God’s love for me has been a significant, painful trial. But as I journey through the autumn of my life, I sense a greater understanding and can rest more easily within such unfailing love.
QUESTION
What is the best way to understand God’s love?
PRAYER
I commit myself to resting in your love today, Lord.
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