Hesed

Psalm 89:1–18 NIV

1 I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. 2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself. 3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, 4 ‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.’ ” 5 The heavens praise your wonders, Lord, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones. 6 For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings? 7 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him. 8 Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you. 9 You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them. 10 You crushed Rahab like one of the slain; with your strong arm you scattered your enemies. 11 The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it. 12 You created the north and the south; Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name. 13 Your arm is endowed with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted. 14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. 15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord. 16 They rejoice in your name all day long; they celebrate your righteousness. 17 For you are their glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt our horn. 18 Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel.

Psalm 89:46–52 NIV

46 How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire? 47 Remember how fleeting is my life. For what futility you have created all humanity! 48 Who can live and not see death, or who can escape the power of the grave? 49 Lord, where is your former great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David? 50 Remember, Lord, how your servant has been mocked, how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations, 51 the taunts with which your enemies, Lord, have mocked, with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one. 52 Praise be to the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.

The Psalmist Learned about Hesed the Hard Way

Suffering is part of life. It seems from the Bible is that those who suffer sometimes experience God in powerful ways if they are open to his healing presence. In story after story we see this. Many Psalms recount God’s loving kindness. From personal, heart-felt prayers testifying to the faithful love of God to national prayers of corporate praise and thanks, the psalms tell the story of a faithful and loving God.

The story of Ruth displays the faithful love of God showing in family relationships. This love plays a big role in keeping the family line of Jesus the Messiah alive in hard times. Joseph is another one of the most powerful stories to speak of this love of God. When Joseph found himself a misunderstood slave the merciful steadfast love of God found this forgotten faithful man and lifted him up in due time.

Here in this Psalm it refers to looking back at how faithful God has been. Not just an “I’ve got your back” kind of loyalty. But support, encouragement, hope and peace flooding your being regardless of what you are going through.

If you’ve got Hesed, you’ve been blessed.

But the Psalmist is remembering this in a time when the question is alive again… Lord, will you be there for me now? People are questioning me, constantly, Lord. People are only thinking of themselves and I’m paying the price, he writes. But Lord, you have been there for me through it all. Will you be there for me now? I’m asking Lord, because as I look around things aren’t so good. Lord, are you still there?

We all attend the school of hard knocks

Probably all of us here today have experienced something like this. We can testify to God’s faithfulness in the past. We have stories to tell. But maybe we have found reason to be concerned, even to question if God is as active in our lives today.

A steady flow of bad news. You feel like you need a magnifying glass to sort through media reports. Half of them seem to want to destroy the current administration and half want to make him King. Neither side sounds quite like the truth. We can feel disconnected.

And it’s undeniable that many are still getting sick every day and even dying. I’m personally a bit frustrated because the county has stopped listing the daily counts of cases and deaths in each zip code. At last report cases were creeping back up again in the area. We now know that some of these are happening in nursing homes. But without the localized information it’s hard to feel confident in daily decisions.

I have thought our state and county leaders had been setting a good example for us, so I hope this is a temporary glitch and next week we will start seeing the accurate numbers again.

Some of us know people who have battled this virus. Some who have died even. One of the worst things about this disease is that it’s so hard to get a handle on exactly how serious the threat is to any one of us. We have learned so much but just when it seems we are getting the Genie back into the bottle, boom. Here it comes again, surging in new states. In Houston they essentially have no ICU beds left. Pray for them and the people of Arizona. Pray it doesn’t return here in that kind of force.

Friends have lost jobs during this downturn. and the chain goes on and on...

How long, O Lord? How long will this continue? Like the Psalmist these questions can grab hold of us at a given moment in time...

The steadfast love of the Lord delivers God’s people

But the Psalmist is able to come back to ultimately Praise the Lord. As he pours out his honest prayers, God is there hearing and understanding. God is receiving it all and pouring love and peace back into his heart.

As he remembers the steadfast love of the Lord and pours out his deepest fears and concerns the psalmist can finally say: Praise be to the Lord, forever!

He believes that this same God who delivered a vulnerable people, brought them through the deepest trials one could imagine and made promises that will last forever, will deliver them now.

Plus, he knows that God has been there for him. The pain and fear are real right now. But the presence and the love are more real and that is where he can land for another day.

God Blesses those who learn to trust him

This is the process of living by faith. It’s not so much conjuring up a bunch of strength of personality to laugh at times of trial. No, it’s more humbling yourself to notice the only reason you are still alive and breathing to day is because of the steadfast love of the Lord.

Although our trust muscles are weak when we are born, we can learn. We start by crying every time we have the slightest need. Sometimes we still cry and the psalms make it clear that’s ok.

But hasn’t God earned our trust?

March 11- 8:15pm.

God has been faithful to us. God is helping all of us. Let’s not get cocky and live carelessly. These are still dangerous days. But we serve a God who is stronger than any of it. But also tenderhearted enough to be with us in the quietest moment when we are hurting and afraid.

God can really bless those who have learned to trust him. Are you learning to trust him? God blesses all of us but when we are bound up with fear and doubt we miss it. God wants to do more for us if we will ask and trust and walk in obedience to Him. So today let me invite you to walk humbly with God. Let me invite you to trust him with your life and livelihood.

You should wear a mask out it public to protect those around you. You should limit your time indoors with others who are not living with you. Hopefully this won’t go on much longer. But don’t live in fear. Walk in faith. Believe in the lovingkindness, the tender faithfulness, the strong strong love of God.

God has delivered us from more things than we can even remember this morning. Let his name be praised by all of us, always. Today, if you need to renew your relationship with God and others, don’t hesitate. Make things right with God by confessing your sins. Make things right with others if you need to. Let forgiveness reign. Let peace rule your heart. Trust Jesus. the fact that Jesus came means everything the psalmist was trusting in came true. Hesed. The steadfast love of God. If you know Hesed, you’re blessed.

Let’s pray...