A Beautiful Love Song!

     As I prepared my sermons for the month of February I was inspired at the contrast between how much of America expresses love. In 1976 Paul McCartney recorded the lyrics “You’d think that people would have had enough of silly love songs. But I look around me and I see it isn't so..”  Unfortunately poor Paul has had three wives and many girlfriends and like many of us has discovered that much of what we call love doesn't last.

    If you have ever been disappointed by love or had someone promise to love you forever who later became forgetful, then Psalm 136 is for you.  As much as people may hurts us and disappoint us, God’s love is permanent.  Seventeen times in as many verses, the psalmist drills the fact into our hearts and heads that God’s love is steadfast and it endures forever.

     He wrote that that same God who delivers us from oppressive rulers and marching armies has a love that extends beyond all of our troubles.  The same God who leads us through wilderness has a never-failing love (v.16) .

    The Lord knows our humble circumstances (V. 23), His desire is to rescue and restore (vv. 24-25), and so we praise the unstop-able love of God (v. 26).

    So what do we learn about our great God through these verses?  He is an Active God.  He does not abandon His people. He does not leave them alone.

   The psalmist also reminds us through his repetitious song that He is a providing God.  He cares about needs and meets them.

   It is the very attitude of thanksgiving to his never ending love that prevents and attitude of self-sufficiency or entitlement.

    So if today you find yourself feeling brokenhearted, crushed, small or forgotten.  May you be reminded that God is desperately in love with you.  People may forsake you and put you down, but your creator wants to lift you up and show you His love in so many powerful ways.  He wants to strengthen you.  Another Psalm says (Ps. 52:8) “⁸ But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.”  Maybe you've seen the Peanuts cartoon: Linus announces to his cranky sister, Lucy, that he’s going to be a doctor. “You, a doctor?” She asks. “How can you be a doctor? You don’t love mankind.” Linus replies, “I do too love mankind. It’s people I can’t stand.”  God so loved people that He gave His one and only Son so that we might live in His love.  God sings the greatest love song of all about you!