Psalm 63:3-4
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
We all love life, regardless of those times when we say we hate it. This is what is behind the “fight or flight” reaction to danger. We either stay and fight or flee for safety. Both reactions prove that, at heart, we want to live and there is nothing better than life. David has one exception and it enhances life and gives us hope, peace, and joy. It is the steadfast love of God. It is mentioned 282 times in the Old Testament. It is not a fleeting, fickle love in our movies and TV. It is immovable, like a rock, and unconditional, like a parent’s love for a child, but infinitely better. That is why David says it is better. It is infinite. We can measure our years but not God’s love.
In our lives, we find ourselves in difficult situations and would be tempted to ask God where his love has gone. Losing God’s love is as impossible as misplacing Mount Everest. It is there and cannot be moved or hidden. When babies cry out for their parents, their hands go up to them when Mom or Dad comes into sight. They coo and laugh when they are held in loving arms. That is us when we pray to God throughout the day. We sing and praise him because his love never wavers, even in storms, as long as we all shall live.
Dear Lord, thank you that your love never grows or shrinks based on our deserving. Your grace demands a response of praise from our lips. In Jesus’ name. Amen.