THE LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS OF GOD

Psalm 117:1-2 says, "Praise the LORD, all you nations. Praise Him, all you people of the earth. For His unfailing love for us is powerful; the LORD's faithfulness endures forever. Praise the LORD!" This Psalm is the shortest in the Bible. Praise the Lord means to adore God with thanksgiving. It implies acknowledging and celebrating Him as our God. No one can truly praise God without believing in Him as the creator and all-powerful, holy God. The writer of this Psalm praised the LORD because His unfailing love was powerful. God's love never fails because His love is genuine and based on His perfect and holy character. As a result, His love towards His people is always the same despite sin, failures, and weaknesses. Another reason that the writer of this Psalm praised God was that God's faithfulness endures forever. God fulfilled all His promises to them. God promised that He would send a Savior to save them from their sins and bring restoration in their lives. More than 400 years later, God sent Jesus to save them from their sins so that they may have eternal life in Him. 

The lesson that God wants us to remember today is that His unfailing love for us is powerful, and His faithfulness to us endures forever. His love for us never fails because He loves us unconditionally, which means that He loves us just the way we are. It does not mean that God allows us to continue living in sin, but what it means is that God loves us so much that He wants us to repent of our sins and walk in His righteousness so that we can experience the new life that we have in Him. Sin destroys what is good in us, but His righteouseness brings life to what sin has destroyed. He is faithful to fulfill His promise to us because all His promises are based on His holy and righteous character. His faithfulness to fulfill His promises to us is beyond our performance or good works. He will never leave us nor forsake us, even when we fall into sin. He is faithful to work and change our hearts so that we may repent and walk in His righteousness again. He will always take care of us because His faithfulness endures any challenges that we face, even during the hardest moments of our lives. He is there with us, right beside us, walking us through and giving us the strength and courage we need. 

We can praise God in any circumstances that we face because of God's unfailing love and faithfulness that endures forever. We can stand against any difficult challenges because God is the one who is strengthening us and keeping us together. 

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) How should I respond to my current situations knowing and believing that God's love is unfailing and His faithfulness endures forever? In what ways does God's unfailing love encourage me? How does God's faithfulness that endures forever encourage me in my current situation? 

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them up to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, the fact that I am still standing before you despite all my weaknesses, failures, and challenges in my life is a testament to your unfailing love and faithfulness towards me. Your love remains the same even when I was at my best and worst. You remain faithful despite my doubts and wavering thoughts. I praise you, LORD, for your unfailing love and faithfulness that endures forever. In your name, Jesus, I pray, Amen.