Steadfast Love
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
Lamentations 3:22 RSV
When I was growing up, my dad had several “pearls of wisdom” he would share from time to time. One of his sage sayings I heard numerous times as I was growing up was, “The only thing permanent in life is change.” And I must admit, as I have gone through the hills and valleys of my life’s journey, I tend to agree in general with his premise about change.
It is true styles come and go. Seasons change. We grow up (and we grow older). There is always something new or bigger or better. During the seven decades of my sojourn, so many things have “changed” in the areas of travel and transportation, communication, healthcare, education, and the list goes on as life is filled with myriad changes from the cradle to the grave.
And yet, when I read Lamentations 3:22-24 and think of my dad and his deep abiding faith, especially in his later years, I believe he would modify his statement to align with the author of Lamentations. Dad would likely say something along the lines of, “The only thing permanent in life is God’s love and mercy, but everything else will eventually change.”
As the world continues to change around us from day to day and year to year, we each have a choice every morning. We can focus on the good old days of the past, we can lament the present, we can fear the future, or we can trust in the steadfast love, mercy and faithfulness of the Lord that never changes.
Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through the journey of life, so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this life may rest in your eternal changelessness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Modified from Compline Book of Common Prayer p. 133)
