BECAUSE HE LOVES US
“How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.” Psalm 36:7
The word “excellent” is used to describe God’s “lovingkindness.” It is indeed precious, or valuable. There is no other love with which to compare it. All mortal love falls woefully short. God loves us in spite of what we have done. His love is unfailing, undeserved, and unconditional. His love is everlasting. Even when our Father corrects us, it is an expression of His love. It could never be overestimated, this matter of His love.
It is important that the unsaved hear of God’s great love. His love for sinners is seen in the death of Jesus on the cross. The Father loved us so much that He gave His only Son to be the sacrifice for our sins. The Savior loved us so much that He bled and died on the cross that we might be forgiven and redeemed. The Father still loves us when we stray, and He is like the father of the prodigal son who received his repentant child. He does not love us because we have earned it. He loves us because He loves us. It is the way He is.
There are many reasons it is imperative that we begin to grasp this great reality of God’s love. If people do not know that He loves them, they will not be likely to come to Him for salvation. If we are uncertain of His love, we will be reluctant to return to Him after we fail. If we are not confident in His love, we will be hesitant when we come to Him in prayer. God will never ridicule us or mistreat us. He loves us too much for that.
Our text tells us that BECAUSE HE LOVES US, “the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.” Knowing how much He loves us encourages us to trust Him. How could we not trust a God whose love is so “excellent”? We have seen children who are not at all reluctant to leap into the arms of a waiting parent because the child is so confident in the parent’s love. They are sure that their parents can be trusted to catch them and keep them from falling. God can be trusted even more so. He will not let us down. We know that we can put our complete trust in Him because we know how much He loves us. Like a hen who protects her brood and whose chicks can find shelter and protection underneath her wings, our loving heavenly Father protects us. Our confidence in Him is not based on our worthiness, but on His steadfast love.