Changed in the Waiting
His Unfailing Love
December 9, 2024
SCRIPTURE
Psalm 107
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good:
his love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
—PSALM 107:1-3, 8-9
Psalm 107
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good:
his love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
—PSALM 107:1-3, 8-9
Psalm 107 offers a litany of ways God has extended unfailing love to God’s beloved ones awaiting rescue. Some were wandering in wastelands (v. 4); others were sitting in deepest gloom (v. 10); some suffered the pain of foolish decisions (v. 17); still more were in the middle of a storm (vv. 25-26). No matter the circumstance, the steadfast love of the Lord reached them. And each one is a story worthy to be told.
Every story of rescue and redemption is unique, whether in Scripture or our own lives. But all of these unique stories are part of our collective history as people who have been redeemed by the Lord’s unfailing love. And no one person’s story remains a singular story. Everyone who has known the redeeming love of God becomes a conduit of God’s love for others. The ripple effects extend throughout all time and all across the globe. I am writing this, and you are reading this, as part of a long chain reaction of God’s loving activity throughout history.
None of us can know all the stories of redemption that make up our biological or faith lineage. But one of the stories I am grateful to know is that of my great-great-grandmother, Erika “Mor-Mor” Boquist. She was born in Sweden in 1857, to parents who were not married. in that culture and time, having children out of wedlock was considered an egregious scandal, one that typically doomed the children in question to a shame-filled, impoverished future. But thanks be to God, her life was marked by God’s redeeming grace rather than the limitations of her culture.
While I don’t know the details of how she encountered God’s love, it is clear that she did, and she dedicated her life to sharing God’s love with others. She eventually became a mother of six who served alongside her pastor husband, Karl. He led a church-renewal movement that faced severe persecution, which led the family to emigrate from their home and go to the United States. They continued to serve and lead faithfully in Minnesota, caring for many as Karl preached, planted new churches, and became a founding leader of the Swedish Covenant denomination.
Several years ago, my father received a large collection of family papers that included the will Erika personally wrote several years before her death. She had few possessions. Instead, she shared about God’s faithfulness and her fervent desire for all her children and their children to know the love of God. Her will is in actuality a written prayer, evidence of the many prayers prayed and answered through her whole life. It is an incredibly humbling and holy thing to read these century-old words and recognize my own story in the ripple effects of hers.
Not all of us can trace the story of God’s love back through our biological lineage. But we all have someone whether a Sunday school teacher, pastor, friend, neighbor, foster parent, mentor, or someone else—whose own redemption story made way for our own. Who are those people for you? Do you know the story of God’s love in their lives? If you don't and are able to connect with them, consider teaching out to ask about it, Every story tells of the steadfast love of God and magnifies our understanding of just how true it is that this love endures forever.
Every story of rescue and redemption is unique, whether in Scripture or our own lives. But all of these unique stories are part of our collective history as people who have been redeemed by the Lord’s unfailing love. And no one person’s story remains a singular story. Everyone who has known the redeeming love of God becomes a conduit of God’s love for others. The ripple effects extend throughout all time and all across the globe. I am writing this, and you are reading this, as part of a long chain reaction of God’s loving activity throughout history.
None of us can know all the stories of redemption that make up our biological or faith lineage. But one of the stories I am grateful to know is that of my great-great-grandmother, Erika “Mor-Mor” Boquist. She was born in Sweden in 1857, to parents who were not married. in that culture and time, having children out of wedlock was considered an egregious scandal, one that typically doomed the children in question to a shame-filled, impoverished future. But thanks be to God, her life was marked by God’s redeeming grace rather than the limitations of her culture.
While I don’t know the details of how she encountered God’s love, it is clear that she did, and she dedicated her life to sharing God’s love with others. She eventually became a mother of six who served alongside her pastor husband, Karl. He led a church-renewal movement that faced severe persecution, which led the family to emigrate from their home and go to the United States. They continued to serve and lead faithfully in Minnesota, caring for many as Karl preached, planted new churches, and became a founding leader of the Swedish Covenant denomination.
Several years ago, my father received a large collection of family papers that included the will Erika personally wrote several years before her death. She had few possessions. Instead, she shared about God’s faithfulness and her fervent desire for all her children and their children to know the love of God. Her will is in actuality a written prayer, evidence of the many prayers prayed and answered through her whole life. It is an incredibly humbling and holy thing to read these century-old words and recognize my own story in the ripple effects of hers.
Not all of us can trace the story of God’s love back through our biological lineage. But we all have someone whether a Sunday school teacher, pastor, friend, neighbor, foster parent, mentor, or someone else—whose own redemption story made way for our own. Who are those people for you? Do you know the story of God’s love in their lives? If you don't and are able to connect with them, consider teaching out to ask about it, Every story tells of the steadfast love of God and magnifies our understanding of just how true it is that this love endures forever.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION, DISCUSSION, AND PRAYER
What is your own story of God’s steadfast love? How and with whom are you telling that story?
Who are some of the people who have been a conduit of God’s redeeming love for you?
How do you experience God’s love as you trace it through the stories of those before you?
What is your own story of God’s steadfast love? How and with whom are you telling that story?
Who are some of the people who have been a conduit of God’s redeeming love for you?
How do you experience God’s love as you trace it through the stories of those before you?