Unfailing Love

Reading: Psalm 107.1-9
It happens too often. A young couple fall in love. They are sure they are meant for one another. They talk about commitment and a love that will go on forever. Next comes the news that they have split up.

Love is one of those ideal qualities we talk about a great deal. But we don’t do so well at it. Even those of us who have remained faithful over many years have to admit that our love has too often fallen short of the ideal.

In his first letter, John says that love comes from God, for God is love (1 John 4.7). Too often our limited view of love has led to a limited view of God. We need to come to God to understand and receive his love - and to share it with others.

Psalm 107 calls on "the redeemed of the Lord" to express their thanks and praise to the Lord for his goodness. His love "endures forever" (v. 1). It is "unfailing" (v. 8).

The people have experienced God’s help in very practical ways. Four particular groups of people are addressed - "some wandered in desert wastelands" (v.4), "some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains" (v. 10), "some... suffered affliction because of their iniquities" (v. 17), "others went to the sea in ships" (v. 23). All had been in some kind of trouble and had known God’s rescue.

It may be that this Psalm was inspired by particular known people who had told their story to the whole gathering. Perhaps the Psalm was sung responsively with different groups voicing their specific thanks to the Lord.

The word "redeemed" spoke of a price paid for freedom. Freedom is always costly, even when it is given by God. We don’t "pay" for it. God does, and this is seen supremely in the death of Jesus for us.

With each group named in this Psalm, the time came when they "cried out to the Lord in their trouble and he delivered them from their distress" (vv. 6, 13, 19, 28).

It has been said that our extremity is God’s opportunity. It’s a big pity we leave it till then! When will we ever learn? God wants us to share our life with him all the time - and to listen as well as talk! If we did that, we could avoid getting into much of our "trouble" in the first place! But yes, don’t forget to cry out to the Lord when we are in trouble either.

We expect (demand?) that the Lord answer our cry for help in only one way. Answer to our prayer isn’t always the simple equation we would like it to be. The sick person may die. The prisoner may still be serving time. The person lost in the desert may die of thirst.

Around the first anniversary of September 11 last week, some of us may have seen the film Flight 93 - the hijacked plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. There were lots of prayers offered in that plane. The reconstruction of events from various mobile phone conversations indicates some courageous choices in which lives were lost but greater destruction avoided.

"Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men" (vv. 8, 15, 21, 31).

Paul wrote, "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8.28).

If God can take the worst that humanity could do to his Son and make it the means of offering forgiveness, love and hope to the world, there is surely no situation of ours which he cannot turn to good.

"Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men."

The Lord’s love is truly unfailing - count on it!

Prayer: Eternal Lord, our world longs for love, but trades hatred, promises commitment, but deals in unfaithfulness, looks for hope, but lives in despair. Your nature and your gift is unfailing love. We thank you for your unfailing love and cry out to you that we may have more of that ourselves in all our relationships. Help us to reach out to others with true love and commitment, enabling them to have courage and hope in you. We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Unfailing God

No matter
how far
we wander,
God is there.
His constant
true
enduring
love
seeks us out.

The atheist
in bitterness
may cry,
"Where is God?"
Yet God is there
to hear
his call,
if he will but turn.

The lonely,
the heartbroken,
the despairing,
the hopeless...
all may call
and know
his care
in their distress.

He is
the unfailing God.
Give thanks to him
for he is good;
his love
endures forever.


© Peter J. Blackburn, Burdekin BlueCare Devotions, 17 September 2002.
Except where otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the New International Version, © International Bible Society, 1984.

Back to Sermons