Love I better Than Life

“Because thy lovingkindness [is] better than life, my lips shall praise thee.” (Ps 63:3 AV)

We do so much to stay alive.  That is only natural.  I have been to the doctors more in the last six months that I ever did in my twenties.  I imagine this is only going to become more common.  We live in an amazing place.  Health care in our city is better than most.  If you need a specialist no matter how rare the ailment might be, there are several to choose from.  In my wife’s case, the protocol for her cancer was invented by her primary oncologist.  She has one of the top doctors in the world when it comes to her rare cancer.  Where we go for our health care needs has whole building dedicated to specialties.  If you have a problem, there is a wing or building for that issue.  Just last week, I went to visit one of our members after she delivered a child.  The Children’s Hospital is huge.  I almost got lost.  Most hospitals around the country are not as large as our Children’s hospital here.  The health care industry is determined to help you live as long as you possibly can.  Perhaps to a fault.  Life, regardless of quality or purpose, seems to be the primary goal.  When it is, life is the lens by which we determine all our choices.  Yet, David says there is something far more important that life itself.

The older one gets and the more he or she walks intimately with God in obedience and faith, the more real the above verse becomes.  As you age, your health begins to fail.  You have to come to terms with life coming to an end.  It forces you to reevaluate priorities.  Some make travel a priority.  Others seek out retirement and relaxation.  Still others take up hobbies or activities one surrendered in earlier years.  Family and relationships become an increasing priority.  All these priorities shed light on what we value.  But I like what David’s song writer says in Psalm seventy-three.  “Whom have I in heaven [but thee]? and [there is] none upon earth [that] I desire beside thee.” (Ps 73:25 AV) This psalm was written about David by his song writer at the very end of David’s life.  It was obvious to his good friend that David had grown so close to the LORD he wanted nothing more than the presence of the God who loved him.  When life begins to fade, all those priorities just listed become secondary to God’s love for the soul.

It is too bad it takes a lifetime to learn this.  We are so busy with the things of life that we fail to make God’s love in the highest esteem.  The verse above is one that no one would argue with.  We would all agree to the truth of it.  Yet, that is not how we live.  If our life is threatened by adversary or circumstance, breathing is the highest goal.  We are concerned with what will happen.  That is only natural.  It may be natural, but it is not spiritual.  Perhaps when the uncertainty of life becomes a momentary concern, we can remember that God loves us infinitely greater than the impulse to breathe.  David is telling us that if he had to make a choice, the love of God would trump a heartbeat any time.  No wonder it is said of David that he was a man after God’s own heart.  He was a man deeply loved by God and loved Him in return.  So, next time our life seems to be jeopardized, let us remember that God loves us more than we can ever know and is far more precious than the breath of our lungs!