Cup of Chesed

Cup of Chesed

Psalm 136:1: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good,

For his loyal love endures.” (NET)

            Anyone who has ever watched a group of small children knows that small children love to carry around sippy cups. For many children, they provide a combination of sustenance and comfort while they wait for their parents to return. But at some point, the cup is forgotten, dropped on the floor or left on a surface, where the coveted drink is commandeered by another child who hurries to “destroy the evidence”.

Cup of Chesed

Psalm 136:1: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good,

For his loyal love endures.” (NET)

            Anyone who has ever watched a group of small children knows that small children love to carry around sippy cups. For many children, they provide a combination of sustenance and comfort while they wait for their parents to return. But at some point, the cup is forgotten, dropped on the floor or left on a surface, where the coveted drink is commandeered by another child who hurries to “destroy the evidence”.

Even if both children have the same drink (milk, water, juice) in their cups, the desire to have what has been given to Someone Else is ingrained in each of us.

            God dispenses His chesed to us each day. What is chesed? The Hebrew word doesn’t have an equivalent idea in English, but is often translated as lovingkindness or “loyal love”; both terms are a good beginning. Like small children, we do not always fully appreciate the gift, and we often desire the chesed He has given to others. We see the lovingkindness He shows to others and we desire Him to show us the same chesed in the same way. We thirst for lovingkindness, for grace, each day. I am thankful that He loves us even when we are acting far worse than the worst tantruming toddler!

            Psalm 136 is sometimes called the “chesed psalm”. All twenty-six verses celebrate God’s glorious provision for Israel, recounting how God has delivered them in times past as well as praising God for His general provision. It is good for us to praise Him for His chesed. How has God provided for your local body of believers? How has God shown you chesed? How will you thank God for his lovingkindness to you today?

            I hope this blog will help you to keep your “chesed cup” refilled week by week and that we will all grow in chesed because of it. Perhaps you are employed or volunteer in children’s ministry. Perhaps you are a parent. No matter what brings you here, may you be richly encouraged and edified as you read on.