Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations. (Psalm 100 NIV)
Once I came to Psalm 100:5 (NIV): “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” I was curious as to how many times “his love endures forever” is found in the Bible, so I looked it up. In the New International Version (NIV) it is 43 times.
I was intrigued by how different translations use different words for the basic idea of God’s “steadfast love/faithfulness/lovingkindness/mercy” – a concept from the Hebrew word hesed that Michael Card explores extensively in his book Inexpressible: Hesed and the Mystery of God’s Lovingkindness (which I highly recommend). So, I looked that up. In the King James Verision (KJV) “His mercy endureth for ever” is found 43 times. The New Living Translation (NLT) uses “His faithful love endures forever” 43 times. The Amplified Version (AMP) says “His lovingkindness endures forever,” the God’s Word Translation (GW) says “His mercy endures forever,” the New American Standard Bible (NASB) says “His faithfulness is everlasting,” and the English Standard Version (ESV) uses “his steadfast love endures forever.” No matter what word or combination of words expresses the basic idea of hesed, they are quickly followed by the idea that it “endures forever” and is everlasting.
Today as we gather in our local churches for services, may we experience God’s everlasting love. May we remember all that God has done for us. And may our praise, worship, prayers, and preaching be honoring and glorifying to God.
God of Love,
Thank you for the rich ways in which our language describes your love for us. Even though we know it cannot completely express all you are, we thank you for the ways in which you love us. Help us to grasp, to hold, and to fully live out of that Love you have for us. In each local congregation gathered today, help us to worship you in Spirit and in Truth. May we sing, pray, and preach exactly what honors and blesses you. We ask you in Jesus’s name, AMEN.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1 ESV)
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24 NIV)