“The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
Jeremiah 31:3, KJV
Be Still
Before there is a road home, there is the love of God.
Jeremiah does not begin this promise with Israel’s strength, faithfulness, or ability to repair what has been broken. The Lord begins with His own heart: “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” His lovingkindness is not a reward waiting at the end of the journey. It is the mercy that draws His people toward restoration.
Behold Him
Jeremiah 31 speaks into the sorrow of a scattered people. Judgment and exile are part of Israel’s story, yet they are not the final word. The Lord promises to gather, rebuild, comfort, and restore. Vineyards will be planted again. Mourning will be turned into joy. The people who felt far away will be brought home. Read Jeremiah 31.
In that setting, “everlasting love” is more than a tender phrase. It reveals the steadfast heart of the covenant-keeping God. Human failure has real consequences, but it does not make the Lord fickle. He remains holy and truthful, and He continues to act according to His faithful purpose.
“With lovingkindness have I drawn thee” shows us how He calls His people back. His drawing is not cold or careless. He remembers those who have wandered. He meets the weary with grace in the wilderness, awakens hope, and leads them toward the life He is restoring.
What Does This Reveal About God’s Heart?
It reveals that God’s love is rooted in who He is, not in the shifting condition of our emotions. We may feel near one morning and far away by night, but His character does not change with our feelings.
His love is also restorative. The Lord does not merely tell His people that He loves them; He promises to build again what has been torn down and to plant again where the land has known loss. His lovingkindness moves toward renewal.
This does not make disobedience unimportant. The same God who corrects His people is the God whose compassion yearns over them. His holiness is not opposed to His tenderness. In Him, truth and mercy meet without either one being diminished.
When the way home feels longer than our strength, we may rest in this: the Lord is not waiting for us with reluctance. His lovingkindness is already at work, drawing the heart to remember Him, trust Him, and take the next faithful step.
Beholding Christ
Later in this same chapter, the Lord promises a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah—one in which His law is written upon the heart and sin is forgiven. At the supper, Yeshua took the cup and said, “This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” Read Luke 22:14–20.
In Yeshua, we behold the everlasting love of God revealed at immeasurable cost. The cross does not overlook sin; it shows how fully God has acted to redeem. The risen Christ gathers a people to Himself and brings us near by grace.
We are not drawn by shame into hiding, but by lovingkindness into the light. Yeshua meets us truthfully, receives our repentance, and teaches us to abide in the love that first came looking for us.
Worshipful Prayer
Abba Father, we worship You as the God whose love is everlasting and whose faithfulness does not wear thin.
Thank You for the lovingkindness that draws us when we have wandered, steadies us when we are weary, and leads us back toward truth. Where disappointment has made us guarded, soften us again. Where shame has told us to hide, let Your mercy call us into the light.
Restore what You desire to restore in us. Plant what will bear good fruit. Teach us not to rush ahead of Your leading or resist the gentle work of Your hand. Let every step home become worship.
Yeshua, thank You for the new covenant in Your blood. Thank You for bearing our sin, opening the way of forgiveness, and drawing us near. Write Your truth upon our hearts and make our lives a faithful response to Your love.
In Yeshua’s holy, beautiful, wonderful, powerful name, Amen.
My Stone of Remembrance: His love did not begin with my return; His lovingkindness is drawing me toward Him.
By Edward and Cynthia Best