When I was growing up, from time to time we sang an old song in our hymnals written by Charles Wesley that was entitled, “Love Divine.” The words of the first verse are,
“Love divine all love excelling, Joy of Heav’n, to earth come down; Fix in us thy humble dwelling, all thy faithful mercies crown. Jesus, thou art all compassion; Pure unbounded love thou art; Visit us with thy salvation, enter every trembling heart.”
This song speaks to the unbounded or limitless love of God, which is the foundation of our Christian lives. With God’s love come His mercies, His compassion, and His salvation! Indeed, God is not going to force us to love Him in return and we can make no mistake, there will be eternal consequences for rejecting His love, but for those who do accept His love and respond in faithful obedience, He provides countless blessings.
When we stop and consider, it is remarkable that the almighty Creator of the universe has chosen not to use force or intimidation to change us and to draw us to Him. Still, instead, He’s chosen to use unconditional love. He’s chosen to pour out His love upon a sinful world in the greatest way through the gift of His perfect Son.
In the book of Lamentations the writer, who most likely is Jeremiah, is crying out to God after Babylon has destroyed Jerusalem. Amid all the anguish, hopelessness, and uncertainty he acknowledges the certainty of God’s love:
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.” (Lamentations 3:22-24)
There are three important characteristics of God in this passage that have to do with His love:
- His steadfast love never ceases. We know from 1 John 4:8 that the very nature of God is love. His lovingkindness is constant and steadfast and it never ends.
- His mercies or compassions never come to an end. The writer even says they are new every morning! God cares for and provides for the daily needs of His children. W.F. Adeney says of God’s mercies being new every morning, “The emphasis is on the thought that no day is without God’s new mercies, not even the day of darkest trouble.” We have a God who takes care of His people daily even in the most difficult times.
- Great is His Faithfulness. God is always there when His people need Him. He is always there to hear and to answer in the very best way when we call upon Him. We should take great comfort in knowing that just as He promised Joshua, He will be with us wherever we go. (Joshua 1:9)
Since God’s love never ceases, His mercies never end, and His faithfulness is great, the writer of Lamentations could find great hope. He trusted that the Lord was His portion and so he would hope in Him. Under the old law, God told Aaron that the Levites would have no inheritance in the land of Canaan, nor “any portion” among them. But better than an inheritance of a physical land, God promised,
“I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.” (Numbers 18:20)
God promised Aaron and the Levites that He would be their portion and their inheritance. As we see in Lamentations the writer acknowledged that God was His portion and therefore He would hope in Him.
Love divine, all love excelling. There is no amount of anguish or suffering or trials in this life that can ever change God’s everlasting love towards His people! The more we come to know and appreciate God’s great love, the more we will grow and excel in our love for Him!
To God Be the Glory!
Excel Still More
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W.F. Adeney, “The Lamentations of Jeremiah,” In The Biblical Illustrator, comp. and ed. Joseph S. Exell (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1973), 44.
Billy Clabaugh
Billy, his wife Shayla, and their son Caleb live in Sayre, Oklahoma where he has been blessed to preach since 2012. He has a bachelor’s degree in Math Education from Oklahoma Christian University and a master’s degree in Sports Administration from Eastern New Mexico University. He enjoys reading, watching the Oklahoma Sooners, spending time with his family, and serving in the Kingdom of God. Billy also serves on the board of directors for Excel Still More and is a regular speaker and writer for the workshop and other publications.
