Psalms 136:1 “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

MISUNDERSTOOD

It is funny. When I wrote that verse, spell check underlined “lovingkindness.” It didn’t recognize the word. It’s no wonder! It’s a difficult word. No one really understands it. Look at some of the definitions from Strong’s Concordance – “favor, good deed, kindly, loving-kindness, merciful kindness, mercy, pity.” What a wide range of descriptions. But this Hebrew word, חָ֫סֶד, checed (kheh’-sed), is such a basic word to describe God’s relationship to us.

This word basically describes how the Lord relates to us, even though we DON’T deserve it. Despite our disobedience, lack of faith and rebellion, when we turn to Him, he shows us his lovingkindness.

TEACHING MOMENT

When your children disobey, does that change the love you have for them? When they come to you, showing remorse and asking for forgiveness, do you turn them away? Do you tell them, “Come back when you can behave and then we re-establish our relationship”? Of course, you don’t. You bring them in and hug them tightly. You may still discipline them (this word has that definition too), but you love them back to yourself.

Our children learn lovingkindness, not by watching us, but by experiencing firsthand from us. We must be the lovingkindess of God to them. We must show them what it looks like to welcome a wandering soul. We must pull them back into a relationship. Is that easy? Not always. But it can always be sweet.

Will you do that today? Will you read the entire 136^th Psalm to them? Read the first part of each verse and let them read the second part. After a couple of verses they will be able to just recite the phrase “for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” Then the next time they mess up, and they will, they will know that through you they can experience this lovingkindess that only comes through Christ.