Love is Better than Life

Imagine seeking God’s love so earnestly, that little else matters.

Years ago, I installed an app on my phone that gives me instant access to several versions of the Bible. More importantly, it provides a “widget” that is front and center on my home screen.  A daily verse appears within that “widget” and is, presumably, chosen at random. Only, I am convinced that these verses are not presented to me merely at random; they routinely address a specific need in my life at that particular moment. In fact, the verses are so spot on that nearly every day I read the daily verse and then show it to my wife saying “can you believe this?!” As a result, I don’t think it is a stretch to say that God likes speaking to me through my phone – or something like that.

This morning, as is often the case, I woke up to a continuation of the thoughts from the previous night about our infant son, Jacob. The questions still circle in my head – why, how, why not, what if. I sometimes think that these thoughts might border on an obsession. I am happy that I have this blog as an outlet for those thoughts and the accompanying feelings. I am also reassured by the scripture passages that await me when I turn on my phone in the morning. This morning was no different. Today I woke to read:

Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. Psalms 63:3

Better than life? What kind of love is this, that the psalmist would choose it over life? Let’s look to the surrounding verses for some context.

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you.

[F]or you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. Psalms 63:1, 7-8

Help. Shadow. Cling. Upholds. These are words used by someone who has been through the ringer and realized that he could not handle the situation on his own. When he committed to seek God, he found the support he needed. And think of this: he chooses to describe God’s love as “steadfast” which is defined as “resolutely firm and unwavering.”

I have difficulty properly expressing to others just how significant God’s faithfulness to us has been throughout this very trying experience. His hand is evident everywhere – the helpfulness and generosity of family and friends, the feeling of strength during the toughest moments, the spontaneous quiet times for calm reflection, and the strengthened relationship between my wife and I despite the most gut-wrenching experience in our lives. Those who have been through a loss such as this, and who have placed their trust in God, know exactly what I mean.

The context of these verses brings to mind the imagery of a poker player going “all in” by placing the remainder of his chips into the center of the table, and then winning the hand an a large pot of money. Only, with God we bring zero chips to the table. We go “all in” using nothing of earthly value. Instead, we empty ourselves and let go of trust in our own understanding. We give up the life we know and in exchange we receive absolutely everything we need – God’s unending, limitless, unwavering love.

In this way, God’s love is better than our lives as we know them to be. His love has washed over us more this year than I can quantify. He has revealed to us, through friends and family and events, that while Jacob’s life here was temporary His love for us (and Jacob!) is both abundant and forever. I encourage you to consider taking a moment to think about how you can tune yourself into this kind of love. I promise you won’t regret it.