The best kind of love

Is there any more abused word in the English language than the word “love”?

We positively “love” all sorts of things: sunsets, chocolate, coffee, our spouse, the dog, our favorite movie, etc.

We negatively (or sarcastically) “love” lots of things, too: our jobs, glitter, rained out plans, having the whole family sick at once, being inconvenienced, etc.

It’s common to hear – both in church and outside of church – that “God is love”.  But what does that mean?  Some people seem to get it backwards and treat it more like “Love is god”, and in this way of thinking, the warm, fuzzy feeling we all associate with love is the supreme characteristic over everything else.

Instead, love is a characteristic of God – so much so that we can aptly say that “Love belongs to God”.  And if God “owns” love, it’s best for us to define it the way that He does.  David brings this up as he concludes Psalm 62:

Psalm 62:11-12
God has spoken once; I have heard this twice:
strength belongs to God,
and faithful love belongs to You, Lord.
For You repay each according to his works.

God has a reputation that He is loving.

But this type of love isn’t the kind that’s just a nice, warm feeling…

The Hebrew word hesed indicates an unfailing love, a loyal love, a love filled with devotion and unlimited kindness…a covenant love that is both promised and upheld – no matter what happens.

Just as David has identified throughout Psalm 62, throughout life, we find malicious liars (some of them we don’t recognize at first), people at all different status levels, and opportunities for wealth (both legitimate and not)…but none of these things ultimately satisfy our need for security.  We desire to be safe.  If we don’t feel safe, it is impossible to rest and function to the full potential that God created us to have.

In the last two verses of this psalm, David’s point is clear: God is the only one that I can trust completely and feel safe and secure.  He won’t leave me.  I cannot guarantee anything will or will not happen in my day – because I can’t control everything – but I can rely on God’s unfailing hesed love to always be there.

Throughout the psalm we feel David’s confidence.  He’s putting everything on the LORD – and he’s determined to keep it that way.  Think of the words David has chosen:  He alone is my rock… my hope comes from him…salvation/glory depend on God…

When we recognize that God’s reputation of strength and hesed love is true, then we are able to confidently live like David lived. 

Keep Pressing,
Ken