Great is your love toward me. (Psalm 86:13)
Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will
walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I
will praise you, O God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your love toward me (vv.
11-13).
The Apostle
Paul reminds us that it is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance (Romans
2:4). John writes: We love because he
first loved us (1 John 4:19). Nothing but love will produce lasting change
in the heart. Cash payments won’t do it. Keeping a list of rules and
regulations won’t do it. Threats of eternal damnation won’t do it.
The psalmist
asks God to teach him his way that he might walk in obedience; not out of
obligation, not from hope of reward, and not out of fear, but out of the
dawning realization of God’s love for him. Give
me an undivided heart that I may fear
your name. Translation: Give me
perfect love for you that I may give you the respect and obedience your name
deserves. Why? Because great is your
love for me.
Only love
begets love. And we don’t initiate it; God does. God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
What wondrous love is this!
Tim- can you provide some background to Psalm 88? Who was in such despair?
ReplyDeleteTim,
ReplyDeleteHow is Psalm 92 reflect a song for the Sabbath day? Does it have something to do with the opening verses where the writer speaks of our ability to take refuge with the Lord? Verse 1-2?