God’s Steadfast Love

GETTING STARTED

Thanksgiving can be a difficult season for me because it brings back memories from Thanksgiving 2002. My mother and I were up early, preparing the Cajun-stuffed turkey and baking sweet potato and pecan pies, when I received the worst phone call of my life. I thought my best friend was calling to ask what I was cooking and to negotiate what dishes we were going to swap later that day. Instead, it was his mother’s voice. The way she called out my name I knew something terrible had happened and my heart sank. She explained how my high school and college friend of 10 years, who was closer to me than a brother, was killed two days earlier in a horrible car accident. For months—honestly years—I spiraled into a dark, deep, lonely state of depression.

READ THE WORD: PSALM 13:1-6 (ESV)

^13:1 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
² How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

³ Consider and answer me, O LORD my God;
light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
⁴ lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

⁵ But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
⁶ I will sing to the LORD,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.

RESPOND TO GOD

I had already experienced so much loss prior to my friend’s death. Now God had taken my best friend, the one person with whom I could laugh hysterically and fully be myself. Like David, for the longest time I cried out verses 1-4, blaming God for allowing me to be so full of sorrow. I lost sight of who I was and who God created me to be. I lost faith in his kindness when he took away such a good person who had counseled me in chemistry and calculus, cooking, careers, and Christ. I isolated myself from other people and God because I couldn’t bear the pain of disappointment and loss once again.

Then, one day, with a face full of tears, I imagined myself climbing into the lap of God, putting my head on his chest, and having him hold me with his strong, powerful, and loving arms. I started worshiping him with the words of the psalmist from verses 5-6, and similar Scriptures. The tears stopped for good and the pity party-for-one turned into a joyful reunion between God and me as I remembered that he’s sovereign, he loves me, and he saved me from my sins, my sorrow, and myself.

I don’t know how long your Psalm 13 experience will last. What I do know is that God’s steadfast love can be trusted; he never leaves or forsakes those he loves, and he’s bountiful in grace and love.