The word unrelenting means “undiminished, not letting up or weakening in vigor or pace; incapable to being changed, sticking to a determined course.”
This is a marvelous description of the love of God. Nothing can hinder or diminish his loving pursuit of both sinners and saints. The psalmist David expressed it this way: “You have hedged me behind and before … Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there” (Psalm 139:5, 7-8).
David is speaking of the great highs and lows we face in life. He’s saying, “There are times I feel so blessed that I’m lifted with joy. At other times, I feel like I’m in a living hell, condemned and unworthy. But no matter where I am, no matter how blessed I am or how low I feel, Lord, you are there. I can’t get away from your unrelenting love! Even when I’m disobedient — sinning against your truth, taking your grace for granted — you never stop loving me. Your love for me is relentless!”
Consider also the testimony of the apostle Paul. Here was a man bent on destroying God’s church like a madman because of his hatred for Christians. He breathed out threats of slaughter against everyone who followed Jesus and sought authorization to hunt down believers so he could charge into their homes and drag them off to prison.
After his conversion, Paul testified that even during those hate-filled years, God loved him. He wrote, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). And through the years, Paul became increasingly convinced that God would love him fervently to the end, through all his highs and lows.
“I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). He was declaring, “Nothing can separate me from God’s love — no devil, no demon, no principality, no man, no angel — nothing can stop God from loving me.”
This is the hope of every believer!
This is a marvelous description of the love of God. Nothing can hinder or diminish his loving pursuit of both sinners and saints. The psalmist David expressed it this way: “You have hedged me behind and before … Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there” (Psalm 139:5, 7-8).
David is speaking of the great highs and lows we face in life. He’s saying, “There are times I feel so blessed that I’m lifted with joy. At other times, I feel like I’m in a living hell, condemned and unworthy. But no matter where I am, no matter how blessed I am or how low I feel, Lord, you are there. I can’t get away from your unrelenting love! Even when I’m disobedient — sinning against your truth, taking your grace for granted — you never stop loving me. Your love for me is relentless!”
Consider also the testimony of the apostle Paul. Here was a man bent on destroying God’s church like a madman because of his hatred for Christians. He breathed out threats of slaughter against everyone who followed Jesus and sought authorization to hunt down believers so he could charge into their homes and drag them off to prison.
After his conversion, Paul testified that even during those hate-filled years, God loved him. He wrote, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). And through the years, Paul became increasingly convinced that God would love him fervently to the end, through all his highs and lows.
“I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). He was declaring, “Nothing can separate me from God’s love — no devil, no demon, no principality, no man, no angel — nothing can stop God from loving me.”
This is the hope of every believer!