Psalm 63:3 “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.”

Pardon me just a minute. Let me resort to the King James Version: “Because thy loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.” New translations are great but when you have walked with God for a while, certain words take on very personal meaning. The loving-kindness of my heavenly Father is not just that he loves me but that he is jealous over me and zealous for my welfare. That means that there are times when I am in danger and don’t even know it or someone is about to take decisions or do something that will imperil my life or future and he steps in and says in essence “no way, devil, that’s my child you are messing with!” Not until afterwards, do you realize how great his intervention was. You can’t put a price on that kind of favor or protection!

If you are a parent, you understand perfectly what I am saying. Anyone who is going to get at your child is going to have to get past you first. God is good like that! Oh that we could come to grips with this fact! From that understanding will flow the kind of praise that David the Psalmist was speaking about: “I will praise you as long as I live and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.” (Psalm 63: 4 – 5). That kind of praise will absolutely bring you into a deeper relationship with God the Father.

There is a song which I have been hearing recently on the radio that says in the chorus: “You are a good, good Father, that’s who you are, that’s who you are. And I’m loved by you, that’s who I am.” What a relationship! “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” (Titus 3: 4 – 5a)  Kindness and love – loving-kindness! Hallelujah!