The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases
His mercies never come to an end
They are new every morning, new every morning
Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord
Great is Thy faithfulness

Kathy Troccoli
written by Edith McNeill

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But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end;
They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:21-23

During my quiet time the other morning, I was reading along in a devotional focused on chapter 3 of the Book of Lamentations (here’s a link so you can read it yourself).  The devotional writer was relating how she ‘missed’ the first part of verse 21—‘but this I call to mind.’  And I realized that I, too, sometimes just hurry by those six little words as I focus on the promises given in the rest of this passage. (How about you?)

As I went about my day I kept hearing this passage over and over in my mind as I sang and hummed this tune.  So simple and yet such a beautiful and complex melody!  I love the solemn, somber tone of the cello and the sweetness of the violin (in this recording) as the musicians play along with the pianist.  And, of course, Kathy Troccoli’s beautiful voice.  But what I love the most is that by hearing it over and over, the words—the Scripture—has sunk into my memory and now I can truly ‘…call to mind, and therefore I have hope…’.  Memorizing verses from God’s Word is such an important thing to do.  Here’s why I say that….

Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.
Psalm 119:11 NASB

Those two phrases ‘but this I call to mind’ and ‘Your Word I have treasured in my heart’ are each relating to really knowing and treasuring the Scriptures.

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end;
They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
Lamentations 3:21-26

Almighty God even described Himself as having ‘steadfast love.’  When God met with Moses, and gave him the Ten Commandments, the first thing He did was make Himself known to Moses.

The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there,
and proclaimed the name of the Lord.
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed,
“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger,
and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…..
Exodus 34:5–7

Isn’t it AWEsome that what Almighty God told Moses about Himself was that He is

• merciful
• gracious
• slow to anger
• abounding in steadfast love
• faithful
• keeps steadfast love
• forgiving

…and twice (‘and this I call to mind’) He mentions that His love is steadfast!!!

Throughout the entire history of mankind—from Adam & Eve and all the way along through the Scriptures—we read of the myriad of ways that our Great God has manifested His steadfast love. So, in our pursuit of calling to mind the never-ceasing, steadfast love of the Lord, we would need to remember some examples of His steadfast love. The psalmist spoke of God’s steadfast love many, many, many times.  Undoubtedly, he had this truth ‘hidden in his heart’ and often would ‘call this to mind.’

Psalm 107 (ESV) is a great starting point (you can go here to read the whole psalm, if you like).  Here the psalmist relates quite a number of times (six times!) how God’s steadfast love has redeemed and saved and protected His children. And he reminds them (and us!) to ‘give thanks to the LORD’ for His steadfast love. The final verse wraps it up:

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
verse 43

Throughout the Bible, God’s people tell of their praise and thanks for His steadfast love. Here are just a few passages…

But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.
Psalms 13:5 and 6

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
Your faithfulness to the clouds.
How precious is Your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
They feast on the abundance of Your house,
and You give them drink from the river of Your delights.
For with You is the Fountain of life;
in Your Light do we see light.
Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know You,
and Your righteousness to the upright of heart!
Psalms 36:5, 7-9

I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord,
the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us,
and the great goodness to the house of Israel
that He has granted them according to His compassion,
according to the abundance of His steadfast love.
Isaiah 63:7

O Lord God, turn not away the face of [me] Your anointed one;
[earnestly] remember Your good deeds, mercy, and steadfast love for David Your servant…
2 Chronicles 6:42

Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.
Psalm 32:10

Do you have a favorite verse or two that tells of our great God’s steadfast love?  I would love it if you would please share it with us (in the comment section below)…thanks!