Speaking Of Life 1036 | Steadfast Love

Greg Williams

Steadfast love. It’s not a term we often use, but it refers to an unwavering love – a committed love – the type of love parents have for their children. If you are a parent or grandparent, you know that being a parent is amazing – and challenging. The amazing, life-giving reward and fulfillment is beyond measure. Many of you likely remember the first time your son said, “Mama” or “Dada”, or when your daughter took her first steps. Life is full of firsts, which lead to many fond memories.

But there are also the challenging times – those times when your children made choices that were difficult for you. Siblings picking on each other one too many times. Hanging with the wrong crowd at school. Skipping classes. Maybe experimenting with substances harmful to their health and well-being.

I think of the time when the phone rang and I didn’t know whether to yell, cry, or what. But eventually the words “we’ll get through this by the grace of God” came out of my mouth. And you know what? We did, and we may cross that valley again before it’s over.

The point is, you were there through the amazing times and the challenging times. This is steadfast love.

So, here’s a question:  If we, being human, have this kind of love for our children, how much more, do you think God has for his children – the ones he calls beloved.

Parents want the best for their children, where do you think that love comes from? It’s a love from the One who always wants the best for us. He shows us how to love by how he loves us. He loves in the amazing times, and his love never wavers through the challenging times – those times when we make choices that are out of his will for us –that turn our face away from his.

The prophet Hosea writes about the love God had for the children of Israel as he formed them to be a nation that would follow and worship him. Even though they rejected him often, he remained faithful in his love. In Hosea 11 he reminds them of that love:

It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.” – Hosea 11:3-4

God has always loved us, and he always will – even more than any parent could ever love their child. He teaches us how to love, so we can teach our children how to love. Steadfast love is what he teaches – always being there, always loving– through the amazing times and memories, and through the challenging times. God’s love is steadfast – unwavering, persistent, committed, unrelenting. We can never fully love like he does, but we can constantly be learning as we live in his grace and steadfast love every day, and into eternity.

I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life