“For the mountains may move and the hills disappear,  but even then my faithful love for you will remain.  My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the LORD, who has mercy on you.

Isaiah 54:10

Geologists teach us that mountains do, in fact, move. The towering mountain ranges of this world are a result of the slow movement of the earth’s tectonic plates. Even now, Mt. Everest is growing at the rate of two inches a year. We also know that hills do disappear. Erosion wears away soft dirt and even rock, turning hills into plains and plains into canyons.

God’s love is more stable and lasting even than the mountains and the hills. It will remain forever, never to be eroded away. When God commits himself to us, that commitment will never be broken.

The love of God, shown to Israel through God’s covenant, is revealed to the world in Jesus Christ, who embodied God’s mercy on the cross. Thus we read in the New Testament letter to the Romans: “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39). What marvelous news . . . something upon which to base our lives. We can live with confidence each day, knowing that God’s love remains with us forever

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: How have you experienced God’s love in your life? What difference does God’s love for you make each day? If you really believed that God loved you, how might you live differently today?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, when I think of the soaring mountains, they seem so utterly stable, solid, and fixed. They feel timeless in their grandeur. Your love, O Lord, is so much more permanent, so much more glorious, so much more reliable. Even as the lofty peaks lift my spirits restore my soul, so does your love.

How I thank you for loving me!  Thanks most of all for revealing your love in the death of Christ. Here I see your sacrificial love for me. In the cross I know your love will never let me go. Hallelujah! Amen.