Doves On Distant Oaks

God's Lovingkindness

I tend to jump around from one version to another when I study passages from the Bible. That's because I understand the difficulties of translating from archaic texts. Sometimes it's difficult to translate a Hebrew or Greek word or phrase exactly into English—there may be no word that fits it. So, I like to see how different translations express it.

In doing so, I sometimes come upon words that jump out at me and touch me in a special way. One of those words is "lovingkindness." This phrase comes from the New King James version (Jeremiah 31:3):

The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you."

As an writer, I should probably object to lovingkindness as a word. It's really just a combination of two words and is now considered an archaic expression, arising from it's use in this very verse. The Hebrew word is hesed and has been interpreted as "faithfulness" or "unfailing care" in other versions. However, it seems impossible to express it using just one word. I think "lovingkindness" is a great attempt that expresses God's consistent love for us.

God has shown that His long-standing love is an active love that draws us to Him. To me, it relates to the nature of God’s divine kindness that is the source of God's mercy towards us, and it's mercy that we need. We are lost in the wilderness without God's love for us. We are mindless beggars, sorting through the scraps that life gives us. We dupe ourselves into thinking we are building a life by our own efforts. In truth, we are aimless without His guidance, weak without His strength, broken without His provision.

When we begin to struggle, when things don't go our way, when we begin to wonder if God is really there watching over us or has turned his back because of our sin; we only need to remember what He has done for us in our past. More, what He has done for all mankind from the beginning of time. Then we know He has been and always will be by our side ... if we would only draw near to Him and accept His help.

That's why, even as these times in which we live are beginning to get darker, we know God has not ceased to love us. We know He will be there to help us because of the love He has shown us in the past. We know that He will continue to do so. We know that the love and mercy He has displayed remains with those who are drawn to Him.

May we always be able to bring his lovingkindness to our remembrance.

Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me.

– Isaiah 46:9

Keywords: God, Love, Mercy

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