No eye has seen, no heart can fathom the fullness of the love that you have for us, raising us out of the dust
Jesus christ, my firm foundation
My life restored forever redeemed by the cross
forever secured in your love
Your love endures, overcoming the grave making a way
Your word stands true, you’re more than enough, holding us up Lord
You never change, You’re everlasting
Your kingdom reigns, no one is greater than you; Nations will bow unto you
Though mountains rise, you go before me
You light the way guiding me where I belong, holding on you through it all
You will light the way, leading us on to you
There’s no fear of death because we belong to you
Your kingdom never ends; forever you will reign
Your Love Endures.
There is a psalm that calls God’s people to sing this truth over and over again while recalling his works, traits, and blessings. The refrain of Psalm 136 is “His faithful love endures forever”. What a great group of words to sing, to say, to pray. But what does it mean? What are the practical implications? How does that truth dig into our soul?
Well, there are two parts to the sentence: the subject and the predicate. The subject is God’s love, but that’s such a vast subject! So let’s look within the context of Psalm 136. Israel is giving thanks to God for various acts. Some are acts of mercy. Some are acts of salvation, and other praises are that he created the heavens or provides for his creation. So the love of God sung about here is the provisional, salvific love of God displayed in action. This love can be seen, pointed to, and has an effect on us.
Next is the predicate, that God’s love endures forever. The love of God is enduring. It’s withstanding. It’s permanent. Now the original language here is interesting. The Hebrew word for forever used on repeat in Psalm 136, “olam” can be translated to the vanishing point or a time out of mind, future or past. If that’s not enough imagery to stir your heart, the same word is used in Micah 5:2 in a prophecy about the coming of Jesus.
“…Bethlehem… one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient(olam) times.”
The same “forever” word that is used to describe how long the Son has existed is used to describe God’s forward-moving, personally-affecting love. God has always been. He comes from a time out of mind. And his love, provision, and mercy extend to a time that vanishes as it’s chased.
God's Love Endures Forever.
Now that we’ve excavated the meaning, here are two implications that I think help us:
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- You cannot out-sin god’s grace, because his love for you isn’t predicated on your behavior. So the purpose and effect of the GREATEST act of his love, the cross, does not change because of your day-to-day actions. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice to take on the wrath of the Father in your place. Your past, present, and future are accounted for. To look at forgiveness linearly, like we can eventually max out the scale, is not the picture the Bible paints at all. To put it in Paul’s words, when we sin, grace abounds (Rom 5:20). His love is enduring. It’s sure, strong, faithful, and able.
- The actual work of the cross, the continuing work of the demonstration of His love is never-ceasing. We can rest secured in the everlasting work of the cross, the intercession of Jesus on our behalf and the covering of our sins by His blood. There will not come a day when the work of Jesus on the cross fails. Your inheritance has no expiration date. Once you are born again as a daughter or son of God, you’re in the family! Moreover, God has sealed us by the Holy Spirit. (2 Cor 1:21-22, Eph 4:30). His love is enduring, and it endures forever.
The second verse and bridge of the song I’ve listed above, Your Love Endures, gives us encouragement to move forward with hope and confidence. God will light the path, guiding us all the way by the Holy Spirit, his revealed Word, and whatever other acts of grace and discipline we may need. The Father of all is actively working. As we fight the darkness and drive back the Enemy, we throw punches with confidence, because we know our Defender is right next to us, and we rest securely and forever in his victory and love.
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