The Goodness of God's Faithful Love

Stephanie Loomis

Apr 29, 2025

As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field;

for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,

and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant

and remember to do his commandments.

The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

Psalm 103:15-19

Spring is in full force here in North Georgia. The colors, fragrances, bursting of leaves in every shape and size---and, of course, the pollen. Spring reminds us that new beginnings make up part of the natural seasons of the year. The cold stark winter gives way (in fits and starts, sometimes) to warming temperatures, nest building birds, and a renewed desire to be outside in nature. Spring fills our senses with wonder and delights.

Altogether too quickly, however, the flower blossoms fade, dropping petals after heat or storm, giving way to summer. Summer has its own beauty, but it too speeds its way to autumn foliage of red, brown, and gold, which becomes again, the barren winter.

Seasons are part of nature's cycles, set in place on the fourth day of creation (Genesis 1:14). Some seasons are longer than others. Some years drown in endless rain, while others bake under unrelenting sun. The only sure thing is that the season will change: from bleakness to renewal to fullness to fading beauty. And again.

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Life's seasons are the same. Nothing stays the same; the only constant is change (Heraclitus of Ephesus). The flower of promise fades into the darkness of disappointment. The wished-for future slams against a brick wall of rejection or reality. That degree didn't bring the hoped-for perfect job. That idealized spouse turned out to be a flawed human after all. The children, so adorable at four, become sullen teens at fourteen--and then walk away at 24. The house never stays clean, the yard grows weeds more easily than flowers, and yellow pollen sticks to everything. Friendships may last a season or decades, but they change. Priorities fluctuate, the markets vacillate, and feelings oscillate.

Only one thing remains certain in a world and life of instability: the steadfast love of the Lord. God's love, derived from his Goodness predates creation and endures for eternity. Time and seasons mean nothing compared to God's love for us. We are born, live our lives, and then leave this world, and in most cases our names will be the dust of the footnotes of history. But God's steadfast love is forever and for always. Nothing we do, nothing we experience, and nothing we feel can change God's love for us.

Spurgeon called all of Psalm 103 too vast in its message and beauty to adequately discuss at a single sitting. He wrote, "There is too much in the Psalm, for a thousand pens to write, it is one of those all-comprehending Scriptures which is a Bible in itself, and it might alone almost suffice for the hymn-book of the church." If Spurgeon thought that of this one psalm of David, imagine the vastness of God's love! God is not surprised by the seasons of our lives anymore than we are surprised that Spring follows Winter. His love carries us through the hard times and his grace allows us to bask in the good.

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