Psalms 36:7 How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
What comes to mind when you think of excellence? For myself, the concept of perfection comes to mind, along with high standing, uprightness, praise-worthy, and more.
When you hear the term, “lovingkindness”, what do you think of? For myself, this is a loaded question. Kindness, (because left-handers tend to think backwards), can often be construed simply to mean gentleness, piety, warm fuzzies, pleasantness, etc. But did you know it is a kind thing to remove splintered chicken bones from your dog’s dinner tray? Did you know it’s a kind thing to prevent a toddler from playing in the swimming pool when you aren’t there? From the dog’s perspective, you are taking away yummy nibblies. To the toddler, your actions mean they can’t have any fun at that moment! If they heard me saying you were being kind, they’d get very upset with me!
Then there is the first half of that term, “loving”. God’s love is as just as it is warm, as firm as it is generous, and it can sting as much as it comforts. People like to paint God’s love as beautiful meadows teaming with flowers under a warm sun and a whispering breeze. But that is a very superficial view of God’s love. When a parent loves a child, they will do everything they can to ensure that child grows up in a safe environment. They will remove broken, unrepairable toys. They will throw out rotten food from the lunchbox. They will discipline the child for doing wrong and teach them what is right. As Scripture puts it, discipline can seem greivous at the time, but when it is done it yeilds fruit unto righteousness. Scripture also says that God disciplines those He loves as a Father disciplines a son, and that if we don’t feel God’s discipline from time to time, we are not sons. (see Hebrews 12:5-11)
God’s lovingkindness then is a more perfect depiction of the loving parent doing their child a favor by ensuring their life is free of harmful contaminents. God longs to give us what is best for us, not what will hurt us. Sometimes we ask for things that God knows will, in the long run, cause us more pain than necessary, so He says no. Sometimes God has us wait for something good we have asked for, knowing that in the waiting we will be shaped and made truly ready for the granting of that request. We don’t like waiting, and we don’t like being denied. There are books written and seminars developed all spelling out ways to make God give us exactly what we want. But I fear we often ask amiss as James 4:3 puts it. We have not drawn close to God, sought His Kingdom and righteousness first (Matthew 6:33), or made ourselves right before Him, repenting of known sin in our lives (James 4:8). We are unable to pray according to God’s will when we are in such a state. We think selfishly and ask for things that Scripture says will be spent upon our own lusts and desires. Such prayers God is not inclined to answer, because the beat of HIs heart is for the lost. Any prayer that leads to not merely the benefit of His children, but enables them to share with others around them, will be answered. God’s lovingkindness is not spelled “sugar-daddy” or “genie in the sky”.
Combining the terms then leads to the combined thought that God’s loving care for us is perfect, praise-worthy and upright. It is in knowing and grasping this concept that we can then move to the next portion of this verse and put our trust under the shadow of God’s protection, described here as His wings. When we can truly grasp the fact that God loves us so deeply that He will care about every detail of our lives perfectly, we are then able to trust Him with those details, and rest, knowing He has it all under control.
It’s not an easy thing learning to put that level of trust in an unseen God. But He has repeatedly proven Himself worthy of that trust. If you don’t believe me, start counting all the things that you enjoy or take for granted today. Are you alive? Are you breathing? Do you have clothes on? Is there a roof over your head? Are you able to get from point A to point B? Have you eaten today? These are just some of the blessings God has seen fit to provide for you. Perhaps you can carry on in the list. What other seemingly every-day things, circumstances, or relationships can you thank God for? No matter how long your list may grow, it is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg of just how deeply God loves and cares for you. Truly His lovingkindness IS excellent, and we can place our implicit trust in His protection over us.
