Psalm 118:1

Psalm 118:1

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

for his steadfast love endures forever.

The cry of David's heart is the praise of the goodness of God. God's goodness demands our full thanksgiving; there is no other qualifier given. God is good; therefore we praise Him.

But why is God good? What is the determining factor that reveals His goodness? It is His steadfast love. God is supremely good because His kindness, love, and faithfulness are supremely enduring. Not even for a moment is His favor withheld from those who are kept in Christ. The love of the LORD is inexhaustible. No event, no power, no distance could remove or keep God's love from His children (Rom. 8:38-39).

This is ultimate peace. We are kept secure by the everlasting love of God (John 3:16-17; 10:27-28). And in light of this truth, we have nothing to fear (1 John 4:18); God is for us, and no one can stand against us (Rom. 8:31). Poverty cannot rob us of His love, nakedness cannot strip us of His care, fear cannot cause His kindness to flee, torture cannot twist us from His grasp, and burdens cannot fall us from His faithfulness. Unemployment, divorce, shattered families, lost friendships, cancer, and loss of loved ones are no match for God's love. Neither life nor death nor time itself can oppose it.

Amor vincit omnia.

Psalm 57:10

Psalm 57:10

For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds.

God's unfailing love is manifest to man in three mains ways: His goodness, His kindness, and His faithfulness. He is completely righteous, yet He is also merciful. God upholds His justice against sin, yet He is still forever loyal to His people. His divine wisdom in the truths of the Gospel is profound. "His understanding is unsearchable" (Is. 40:28).

These core attributes of God - His goodness, kindness, and faithfulness - are what lead us to praise Him internally and externally (see vv. 8-9). They are the deepest source of our hope and our motivation for evangelism. They cause the believer to sing, praise, and give thanks to God. They lead us to desire God's glory to be magnified over all (vv. 5, 11).

It is only when we stop treasuring God's lovingkindness that we sin. And yet it is then that the very same steadfast love draws us back to Him.