Scripture
Psalm 136:1 — “Give thanks to the Lord, for God is good. God’s hesed endures forever.”
Soul Creations had a pop-up in Davidson a few weeks ago, and we were going to introduce our new “Teacup Bouquets.” As soon as Dawn got the flowers, she texted me: “Aren’t these beautiful! They are so amazing!”
I agreed. They were breathtaking.
But all I could think was, “How are we going to get those sunflowers into those tiny teacups? I don’t want to say anything, but I just don’t think that is going to work. This delicate little cup with a ginormous flower spilling out of it!”
That’s exactly what happens with the Hebrew word hesed.
English is the teacup. Hesed is the sunflower.
We try to shrink it down into something neat and manageable — “mercy,” “steadfast love,” “loving-kindness” — but none of those words can contain it. It overflows every box we try to force it into.
And that’s because hesed isn’t just a vocabulary problem. It’s a revelation problem. It’s one of those words that refuses to stay small.
Think of a mama bear with her cubs. Fierce? Yes. She’ll fight anything that threatens them. But also tender — patient with their stumbling, gentle when they’re hurt, never too tired to keep caring.
English makes us choose: fierce or tender. Hebrew says: both, AND at the same time.
Hesed is the love that says, “I will fight for you AND I will be gentle with you. I will stay loyal even when you’re disloyal! I will protect you fiercely and forgive you completely. I made a covenant with you, and nothing — NOTHING — will make me break it.”
No wonder David wrote, “Your hesed is better than life” (Psalm 63:3). Because hesed isn’t just an emotion or a nice thought. It’s a way of being in relationship that transforms everything it touches.
And this is how God loves you. Not with fragile sentiment that disappears when you fall short. With hesed. Fierce. Tender. Loyal. Forgiving. Relentless. A love that is simply too big to fit in a teacup.
And here’s the part I almost missed: Dawn never intended for those sunflowers to go in the teacups in the first place.
Her vision was bigger. And better!
She wanted them to become handheld bouquets — bright, beautiful, overflowing. And she chose ones that hadn’t even fully bloomed yet, knowing they had room to grow into their beauty.
That’s hesed. God doesn’t try to cram love into containers that are too small. God’s vision is bigger than ours. God sees who we are, who we are becoming, and holds us with a love that refuses to shrink down — a love that always gives us space to grow.
Takeaway
Hesed is too big for English. It’s covenant love that fights for you and forgives you in the same breath — love that refuses to let go.
Closing Prayer
God, thank You that Your love is too vast for words. Help me rest in Your hesed — fierce when I need protection, tender when I need comfort, loyal when I wander, forgiving when I fall.
The link for yesterday’s message will be in tomorrow’s devotion.
Grace and Peace,
Andrea