The Wonder of God's Faithful Love

“This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see” (Psalm 119:23 NLT).

Welcome back dear student, continuing on our new identity in Christ. The Psalm above depicts victory over the trials of life ending with a proclamation of God’s enduring ‘Chesed’ – ‘His Faithful Love’. The Hebrew Word ‘Chesed’ is an unbreakable Covenant between two parties – a legally binding agreement with an understanding that the stronger one upholds and protects the weaker partner.

This is the Love of God – unending, undeserving, and undeniable.

Have you ever heard of how God loves you friend?

In the world many songs and poems have been written about love, but the real Love of God is beyond compare. This is why the testimony of the Cross is so vital to understand. Jesus, the Righteous Son of God, the sinless Messiah and Lamb, laid down His Life, so that anyone who believes in Him can receive, as a free gift – forgiveness of sin, right-standing with God, and Hope (John 15:13).

The Lord Jesus defeated death, sin, and hell, so that we could be acquitted from our sins and justified by our faith in Him, and now He lives forever - the Firstborn from the dead, so that believers can trust that when our time comes to die, eternal life is but a breath away. This is the Love that God has for each one of us, that He allowed His Son to suffer and die, to pay our ransom. No matter how great a love we ever experience on this earth nothing compares to the Love God has for us: expressed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

And He is coming back! All the signs that are prophesied in the Bible are lining up. “Look up for your Redemption draws nigh” (Luke 21:28; Job 19:25). When someone experiences the Love of God everything changes.

Here is the testimony of a gentleman from our church.

“I grew up in neighbourhoods where violence, crime, and drugs were the norm.I fell in with the wrong crowd and soon was caught up in this bad life from a young age. I ended up hopeless, addicted, and in prison in my early twenties. I didn’t know God, but He knew me. I didn’t believe in myself either, yet Jesus believed in me. I wasn’t expecting anything, but I encountered God’s life changing Hope. After prison however, life went right back to how it had been before: more crime, drugs etc.

But the Lord intervened, and when I look back now, I see the thread of His plan of redemption throughout my life. I got accepted on a social care course. I knew nothing about computers or assignments, but somehow God brought people alongside to help me learn. I gained work experience in a homeless charity, and later, when a part-time job came up, I was encouraged to go for it. Someone saw something in me. I got the job, so now, I was studying my course, and working amongst people with multiple problems, and, because of my background, I understood them – ‘been there, done that, and bought the tee-shirt’ as they say!

My life experiences gave me compassion for them. In the meantime, I started to seek to know Jesus myself. I realised I couldn’t live without His help after I relapsed, and I experienced the Love of God as He lifted me back up out of the miry clay, ready to walk forward with His hand supporting me now."He lifted me out of the slimy pit of despair, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand" (Psalm 40:2).

I’m so grateful for how the Lord delivered me and I’m growing to know Him through His Word, more everyday (Colossians 1:9-14). Praise the Lord friend, this Hope is there for you too!"

‘God has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes’.