Steadfast

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, March 5th, 2023:
The Second Sunday of Lent

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Psalm 33

R. Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you.

The word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

R. Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you.

Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.

R. Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you.

Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

R. Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you.

Steadfast is not a common word. At least not for me, and so it sticks out. In this psalm it is used in each stanza to refer to our God – more precisely, to describe His love for us. I often think of God’s love as unconditional but not necessarily steadfast. But it is! And thank goodness because I’m sure I’ve given Him a reason or two for His love to waiver. Yet it doesn’t. Ever. That’s somewhat hard to comprehend. However, the psalmist writes: “the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.” Do I see God’s steadfast love all around us? 

The other day on my drive to work, I did. The weather was cold, wet, slushy, slightly windy, and slightly snowy. In other words, a typical Nova Scotia winter’s day. I noticed them out of the corner of my eye. A father and child walking on the sidewalk. The child was probably three or four years old. Rubber boots on. Hood up. The child was old enough to walk yet dad was carrying her. Correction. He was clutching his child. I assume to protect her from the weather. Held tightly in the safety of dad’s arms the pair walked on. Dad had a look of determination on his face. He was on a mission to get his child to … daycare? A grandparent’s house? A friend’s? Regardless of their destination, it was clear to me he was going to get his child there safe and sound in spite of the miserable weather.

​Then it hit me. I suddenly thought of God holding me in this way, through the cold, dark, grey days that I have lived. Determined to get me to a better place. Holding me tight. Not letting go. Because He loves me – steadfastly. That’s a little bit mind blowing. The online Oxford Dictionary defines steadfast as “resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering.” This perfectly describes the father and child I witnessed on that blustery early morning. And it describes our Heavenly Father.

There are days when we let the storms and bad weather get to us, literally and figuratively, because we are human. But as people of faith, we are also people of hope! When we hope, there’s an implication that something good has not yet arrived. The psalm refrain speaks of this “not yet-ness”: “Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you.” The people know of God’s Love but are still waiting. I am still awaiting Him. In that place of not yet-ness, God still – and always – extends his Love to me, to us. And so, if we can find even a modicum of hope in our messy lives, we can place that hope in a God who is so much bigger than the storms that rage around us; and his steadfast love, which is always readily available, will come upon us. And is, in fact, already all around us. 



Aurea Sadi

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