“Let me hear of Your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting You.” (Psalm 143:8 NLT)
If I’ve heard my husband say it once in the beginning of our marriage, I’ve heard him say it a hundred times since then. “Anna, we don’t trust in man; we trust in God.” I don’t know how he had this vital information already in the those first few years, we tied the knot while we were still teenagers. Yet somehow, he had already decided that man was fickle and God was not. He has tirelessly believed in God above for our provision, rescue and even defense.
I’ve been thinking about failure the past few days. The world is wrought with it. Yes, my own, but also the failure of others and how those shortcomings have wreaked havoc in my personal world. I suppose that’s true for most of us; the actions or even inaction of others can be crippling.
People fail us. Supervisors and employees betray us alike; maybe by mal-intent or maybe by mishandling. Spouses fail us, they are simply unequipped to meet the model of marriage laid out in the Hallmark movies. Children fail us, from lack of experience and insight or from a straight out streak of rebellion. Parents fail us and leave marks that last for generations. Friends fail us and we feel so very alone in their absence. We fail us and we have no where to point fingers except our sorry selves. To err is human.
And yet, this tangled tapestry of failure makes a most fine canvas for the singular exception of an unfailing God. Have you thought about it? How all the shortcomings of common man come together to reveal the exceeding faithfulness of our God? And as you think about it, isn’t His unfailing nature all the more attractive?
So I’ve spent some time this morning digging into scriptures that cite His unfailing nature. There are many and they all buoy a heart battered by the storms of failure.
“…You show unfailing love to Your anointed.” (Psalm 18:50 NLT)
“The unfailing love of the Most High will keep him from stumbling.”
(Psalm 21:7 NLT)
“In Your unfailing love, rescue me.” (Psalm 31:16 NLT)
“…Save me because of Your unfailing love.” (Psalm 13:5 NLT)
“Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but unfailing love
surrounds those who trust in God.” (Psalm 32:10 NLT)
Maybe it’s from watching too many Marvel movies, but when I read that last scripture I can see a protective dome of God’s love covering His sons and daughters. In the midst of the ongoing and epic failures of man; His unfailing love insulates us, preserves us in the presence, even in the crosshairs of our enemy. We are held secure in His loving hand and His love never fails.
We don’t merely survive in this unfailing forcefield. We aren’t simply waiting out the enemy, wounded and surrounded. No, scripture says that we will flourish the hand of unfailing love.
“But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God.
I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.” (Psalm 52:8 NIV)
Olive trees flourish in arid climates against bitter enemies. They are resistant to heat, drought, disease and fire because of their thick bark but also because of their deep root system. We are the same when we climb into the everlasting grip of God’s unfailing love and let our roots grow down deep.
“Let your roots go down deep into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught,
and you will overflow with thankfulness.” (Colossians 2:7 NIV)
I have a tendency to overflow with tears, not thankfulness. The err of my fellow man cuts deep, but I don’t want to be bogged down in bitterness. I don’t want to hold the failures of others, or even myself, against us. I long to freely forgive and overflow in gratitude, not grumbling. Only allowing the unfailing love of God to overshadow the incessant failure of man will make room for that. From here forward, I am choosing to focus on faithfulness, not failure. I’m going to let the shortcomings of flesh be utterly eclipsed by the unfailing love of my Lord and Savior.
Lord, may we see today how the failure of man makes a dramatic backdrop for Your unfailing nature. May we be quick to look for You in the midst of attack. Tuck us into the shield of Your unfailing love. Insulate our hearts from the injury of others, intentional or unintentional. Let us see You as our singular Source, not our own hand or skill or wit, certainly not the hands of others. Help us learn to trust Your unfailing love at all times. Amen.