When we are blessed, we should respond with thanksgiving because we know that we received these blessings out of the goodness and love of the Lord. Therefore, the Psalmist asserted, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let Israel say: ‘His love endures forever.’ Let the house of Aaron say: ‘His love endures forever.’ Let those who fear the Lord say: ‘His love endures forever’” (Psalm 118:1-4). It is on account of the goodness of the Lord that we give thanks—and his goodness is born out of his enduring love. Because God’s love endures forever, it gives us a sense of security. We can be sure that he will not abandon us along the way. The prophet Jeremiah wonderfully pictured God’s enduring love when he uttered, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23).
God’s enduring love was fully manifested to Israel. God has been sustaining Israel from the time they were born as a nation until today, for one reason: love. The Lord said to them, “The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you…Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands” (Deut. 7:7-9). Since they are such a small nation, they could easily be swallowed up by their enemies, but God continues to sustain them today. Israel can feel secure in the midst of all her challenges because of God’s unfailing love.
The house of Aaron can also testify of God’s enduring love. As priests, they were given the privilege to serve at the temple and witnessed many of God’s wonders. They learned to offer praises to him and knew what pleased the Lord. When they were bringing the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant into the temple, they raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang, “He is good; his love endures forever.” As a result, the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God (2 Chron. 5:13-14). There is special blessing that comes from the Lord when we acknowledge that He is good and his love endures forever. This was proven when King Jehoshaphat was facing an enemy with a vast army. Realizing that they were outnumbered, Jehoshaphat, after consulting the people, appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendour of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever” (2 Chron. 20:21). The moment they started singing, the Lord worked wonders and caused the enemies to be completely defeated.
Certainly, God is not only good to Israel or the house of Aaron, but to all who fear him. He cares for and loves all of us. The apostle John revealed this truth when he said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). For us to benefit from his love, we need to respond by believing in Him. We cannot go on with our old sinful ways and expect to be loved by God forever. God clearly displayed his love to the people of Nineveh and forced Jonah to preach about the coming judgment. The Ninevites responded with fasting and repentance and God relented in destroying them because He is “a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity” (Jonah 4:2). However, when the Ninevites found relief, they continued on with their sinful ways and God’s judgment came and they were destroyed. Friends, God is loving and he cares about us. The apostle Peter said, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Let us repent of our sins and allow ourselves to be covered by the Lord’s enduring love. He will surely save us and give us victory. Even in the most difficult situations we will find ourselves in, his love will sustain us. Therefore, let us love the Lord with all our heart, soul, might and mind. If we have drifted away, let us go back to our first love. Our own love for the Lord should be as enduring as his. Glory to God!
