“He has remembered His promise to love and be faithful to Israel. The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.” – Psalm 98:3, Living Bible

“Why doesn’t love last?” That is one of the hardest questions that I’ve ever been asked.

For many people, it remains a puzzle how a husband and wife become so bitter against each other and go their separate ways yet they were once so much in love that they made vows before many witnesses promising to love each other “till death does us apart.”

The question of why love doesn’t last may be philosophical without any easy answers.

However, lack of commitment and failure by one or both partners to prioritize the relationship could be factors.

Someone has said that maintaining a relationship is akin to cultivating a flower garden in the backyard; it requires relentless effort, care and constant attention.

If one or both partners become complacent or start taking the other for granted, the relationship can suffer and be overcome by ‘weeds.’

In the Bible, God often used the metaphor of marriage to describe His relationship with Israel, highlighting the themes of covenant, commitment and faithfulness.

For example, in Hosea 2:19 (Amplified Bible), God says: “And I will betroth you (Israel) to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, In lovingkindness and loyalty, and in compassion.”

Isaiah 54:5 says; “For your Maker is your husband – the Lord Almighty is His name – the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.”

Unlike human beings whose love may fade over time, Christ is never lacking in commitment and His love lasts forever and ever.

In our meditation today, the psalmist recalls these themes and says; “God has remembered His promise to love and be faithful to Israel.”

The New King James Version says; “He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness.”

Biblically, ‘mercy’ means unfailing loyalty or love.

God’s mercy is closely associated with forgiveness.

It involves pardoning and not holding offenses against His people – basically extending Grace or unmerited favour to humanity despite their imperfections.

The notion “remembered mercy” means that God does not stay angry for long or forever.

He will repeatedly have compassion on His Children and forgive them of their iniquities (Micah 7:18).

In Habakkuk 3:2 (NKJV), the prophet prayed; “O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.”

The context of this prayer was a deep concern over the state of the world and the suffering of God’s people.

Habakkuk is appealing to God to balance His judgment with compassion and to act in a way that brings renewal and hope amidst the turmoil.

Whatever situation we’re dealing with or however far we’ve gone away from Him, our Father in heaven will always remember His covenant to love us and to be loyal and faithful to His people.

Unlike human beings whose love may fade over time, Christ is never lacking in commitment and His love lasts forever and ever. Amen!