Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Psalms 25:6 NIV
Pam and I were traveling to Florida for Christmas when our car broke down on Interstate 75, just two hours from our destination. Upon inspection, we had a broken pulley and main belt. While we were considering what we could do a young man drove up and stopped, he was trying to reconnect with his wife who was following.
He asked why we were stopped and if we had broken down. He volunteered to drive us to a parts store that was nearly 20 miles away…in stop and go traffic on interstate. He waited to make sure that they had the parts, THEN he drove us back to our car on one of the busiest travel days of the year. It only took about 30 minutes to make the car driveable again, but the young man was with us for almost 2 hours.
Acts of compassion are not quickly forgotten. They have a way of staying with us and shaping our thinking. We remember the people who were kind to us in school…and the bullies of course. We remember special gifts that were given to us unexpectedly. We remember those who expressed encouragement when it was so badly needed.
King David is reflecting on God’s consistent interaction with His people. God has been faithful to express compassion or mercy. The Hebrew word is “racham” but its root is “rechem” meaning the womb. The image carries the idea of the tenderness that a woman shows to her child in the womb while caressing her belly. David is reminding the Lord to remember him with the same affection.
Love in Hebrew is “chesed” which is expressed as God’s covenantal love. He understands this love as commited in devotion to a party that will not quit just because times are tough. This love is also unchanging which forms the foundation of all healthy relationships.
David knows the stories of how God has been faithful in showing mercy and love in the past. Remembering brings hope for him in the present. He thinks, “If God has expressed faithfulness to those He loves in the past…maybe He will love me now in the same way?”
May you reflect on God’s loving ways and MAY you be enveloped with His loving expressions today.
Blessings Love y’all