The Love of God is Mighty

This morning as I began my prayer time I meditated on Psalm 117. This is the shortest of the Psalms in the book. Furthermore, it is the shortest chapter in all the Bible.

Psalm 117:1-2 Praise the LORD, all nations; Laud Him, all peoples! 2 For His lovingkindness is great toward us, And the truth of the LORD is everlasting. Praise the LORD!

There are many interesting features of this Psalm, but I only want to bring out one nuance for our meditation this morning. In verse two, the Psalmist notes that "His [God's] Lovingkindness is great toward us."

Two things:

1) The Lovingkindness here is the chesed - the loyal, steadfast, covenant-keeping love of God for his people. This word encapsulates the idea that God is faithful to keep all of his covenants.

2) His love is great toward us. The verb great is gavar. The noun form (gibor) is often used in the OT as referring to a military warrior or some sort of strong man. This is interesting. The psalmist notes that the loyal covenant keeping love is mighty toward us (Lit. "upon us"). Have you come to this realization in your Christian life? Have you meditated on the loyal and faithful covenant-keeping love of Yahweh God and how it is mighty towards (or upon) us?

Picture this: the love of God is like a military warrior wearing his armor, marching to the front lines in battle. He is prepared. He is focused. There is a sense of urgency in his eyes. He is ready for war. This chesed love of God is mighty toward us just as this warrior is mighty as he goes to the front lines in battle to wage war.

May we find great comfort today knowing that the Love of God is Mighty!