Today’s reflection courtesy Rev Mike Fleenor, FPC’s Congregational Care Assistant:
“I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations. I declare that your steadfast love is established forever; your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.” Psalm 89:1-2
Psalm 89 is one of the longer Psalms tracing much of the history of the Israelite people. This is the only Psalm attributed to Ethan the Ezrahite. He is a temple musician and a sage, a person recognized for wisdom. He reminds the LORD God to honor and remember the covenant made to the nation through King David.
The opening of the Psalm uses two familiar terms describing the nature of the LORD. “Steadfast love” is used seven times in the Psalm, and “faithfulness” is used eight times. What does it mean to say God’s steadfast love is forever? Steadfast love is a love from God to humanity which can never be revoked. I think of steadfast love as being grace. Our post-Christ faith believes grace is unmerited favor or love. God, our Father, forgives us when we sin. The movement of the entire Psalm is from praise to the covenant to a lament that the Israelites are living in a time of distress. They must be reminded the LORD has not forsaken them. Many times in the stressful times of doubt and fear, I have felt the Spirit remind me that the LORD is faithful. The faithfulness of God means that God will never abandon humanity. In the midst of this pandemic when many are cautioned to stay-at-home, God is still the LORD of the universe. Our task as the church is to “declare” the LORD is always loving and always faithful.
The Psalm recognizes the paradox to declare the LORD God is loving and faithful in all situations. We may view the difference of living in 2019 with how we are living in 2020. When our reasoning and thinking in unable to master the circumstances, we declare steadfast love and faithfulness. The Psalm points to the miracle of God’s way to overcome our expectation and reveal that the covenant promise to David is fulfilled in Jesus the Christ. The author, Ethan, reminds the LORD of the promise of the everlasting covenant. His lasting declaration is that God always loves and is always faithful to this promise.