Calling to Mind Our God
One of my favorite passages in the Bible has always been the following:
But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
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 3:21-24
Hoping in What I Call to Mind
I have hope because of God’s steadfast love which never ceases. I have hope because God’s mercies never come to an end. They don’t run out. God still has more mercies for me tomorrow. I have hope because of God’s great faithfulness. He keeps and fulfills all his promises. I rest secure in who God is. My soul says he is my portion. He is my treasure. I will rest in him, trust in him, and put my hope in him.
These Things I Call to Mind To Have Hope
There are many things we can call to mind to have hope. These three are most helpful to me:
- God’s steadfast love.
- Who God is.
- What God does.
When I am discouraged, when I need hope, when I need to seek God and find my rest and peace in him, those are the things I try to call to mind.
Todays blog will be about calling to mind God’s steadfast love. In the near future , I will do blogs on calling to mind who God is, and calling to mind what God does.
Calling to Mind God's Steadfast Love I looked up the word steadfast on Merriam-Webster online dictionary which defined this word as follows:
- fixed in place
- immovable
- not subject to change
- firm in belief, determination, or adherence
- loyal
- firmly fixed in place or position.
When I think about God’s steadfast love, I think about how God’s love for me is resolute and unchanging. His love is firmly established and unwavering. His love is constant. Nothing I can do can make God love me more, and nothing I can do can make God love me less. Everything God does, he does perfectly, and he already loves me perfectly, completely, thoroughly.
Bible Verses About Steadfast Love The best way I have of calling to mind God’s steadfast love is by reading about it in the Bible. The expression “steadfast love” appears 202 times in the English Standard Version. These verses I look up and call to mind. Here are some of them
Exodus 34:5-8
5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him (Moses) there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” 8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.
God abounds in steadfast love, and he keeps his steadfast love.
You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit. Job 10:12 God grants steadfast love.
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
and sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
light up my eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death,
lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed over him,"
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation
I will sing to the Lord,
because he has felt bountifully with me.
Psalm 13:1-6
We can trust in God’s steadfast love.
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleans me from my sin!
Psalm 51:1-2
We can ask for God’s mercy because of his steadfast love for us.
Awake, my glory!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will wake the dawn!
I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
among the people;
I will sing praises to you among
the nations.
For your steadfast love is great to
the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the
heavens!
Let your glory be over all the
earth!
Psalm 57:8-11
We can praise God for his steadfast love.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
I've thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
he sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
he moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
Psalm 136:1-9
(Verses 10-26 continue in this manner.)
We can thank God that his love endures forever.
Being Mindful of God’s Steadfast Love
I love to think about God’s great, amazing steadfast love for me. It does give me great peace. It reminds me that heaven is my home, and that God has promised me eternity with him. God is with me here and now, caring for me and comforting me through me trials, but one day I will be with him. God’s love is steadfast, perfect, infinite, and forever. I God I have great hope.
A Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
Help us to call to mind your steadfast love when we are discouraged. Help us to memorize verses about your great love so we can hide them in our hearts, and your Holy Spirit can bring them to our minds when we are in need of hope.
Thank you for your steadfast love and faithfulness to us. Thank you that we can rest secure in your love that never changes knowing all your promises are true. Thank you for loving us so much that you sent your Son, Jesus, to die for us on the cross so that we might have a relationship with you.
We are so grateful for who you are and for all you do for us. And it’s in the name of you Son, Jesus, that we pray.
Your gracious child,
SJR