Psalm 136: 1, 23-24 - “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.He remembered us in our low estate. His love endures forever. And freed us from our enemies. His love endures forever.”

“Diamonds are forever” - at least that’s what the jewelry industry hopes enamored couples everywhere will believe. Unfortunately, a diamond often outlasts the marriage it was meant to symbolize. Human love is not flawless.

So where can you find flawless and eternal love? Psalm 136 asserts repeatedly that God’s love endures forever. This song served as an anthem or pledge of mutual love between God and his people. Old Testament priests sang the first phrase in these verses while the congregation answered with the refrain: “His love endures forever.” It was much like an exchange of wedding vows between God and his bride, the nation of Israel (Isaiah 62:5).

God desires the closeness of such a relationship with each of us for eternity. And his love lasts beyond a lifetime. Not only does God offer us enduring love, he also extends to us endearing love, a strong affection that lifts one higher or increases the value of the one beloved. Enduring speaks of the quantity of God’s love while endearing portrays the quality. The psalmist says that God “remembered us in our low estate” (v 23). We are nothing; but God loved us before we were lovely. We are his diamonds in the rough.

In the rough, a diamond looks like a common pebble. The stone must undergo a finishing process to bring out its full radiance. It is then held against a large grinding wheel to cut and polish the stone. Many meticulous hours are spent perfecting it.

Like the nation of Israel, God has lifted you out of the rubble of a worthless life. He is polishing and chiseling you into a jewel of great beauty. You are his diamond. You are his bride being prepared for the bridegroom. And his love endures forever.
(From the NIV Women’s Devotional Bible.)

Today let’s worship God and give thanks to him for his enduring, endearing love for us.

-AP