Today we continue our series entitled, “Back to the Bible,” with Part 38. We have been looking at Psalm 119. Let’s continue to walk through this amazing psalm. Today we will look at verses 123 and 125 from The Passion Bible Translation.
David said:
(v.123) As a lovesick lover, I yearn for more of your salvation and for your virtuous promises.
(v.125) I need more revelation from your word to know more about you, for I’m in love with you!
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. God wants our love for Him to be fashioned after His love for us. David called himself a “lovesick lover” who yearned for more of God and more of God’s virtuous promises. Like a lover who is passionately longing for his mate, the believer should long to know God in a truly intimate way.
2. If we want to know how we should love God, all we need to do is look at how He loves us. There is a current song by Cory Asbury entitled, “Reckless Love.” In the song, Cory Asbury seeks to capture the unbridled nature of God’s love towards us. One of the verses of the song says:
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
In a live performance Cory Asbury shared the following about his thought process in writing the song. He said,
“When we use the phrase “The reckless love of God,” we are not saying that God Himself is reckless; He is not crazy. We are, however, saying that the way He loves is in many regards, quite so. He is utterly unconcerned with the consequences of His actions with regard to His own safety, comfort and well being. His love is not crafty or slick. It’s not cunning or shrewd. In fact, all things considered, it is quite childlike. And might I even suggest, sometimes downright ridiculous. His love bankrupted heaven for you, for me. His love doesn’t consider Himself first. It isn’t selfish or self-serving. He doesn’t wonder what He will gain or lose by putting Himself on the line. He simply puts Himself out there, on the oft change that you and I might look back at Him and give Him that love in return. His love leaves the 99 to find the 1 every time. To many practical adults that’s a foolish concept. “But what if He loses the 99 in finding the 1, right? What if?” Finding that 1 lost sheep is and will always be supremely important. His love isn’t cautious. It’s a love that sent His own Son to die a gruesome death on a cross. There’s no “Plan B” with the love of God. He gives His heart so completely, so preposterously, that if refused, we would think it irreparably broken. Yet He gives Himself away again, and again, and again, and again. Time and time again. Make no mistake, our sins do pain His heart and 70 times 7 is a lot of times to get your heart broken. And yet He opens up and allows us back in every single time. His love saw you when you hated Him and logic said, “they’ll reject me,” He said, “No, I don’t care what it costs me. I lay my life on the line, as long as I get their hearts.”
3. I agree with Cory Asbury, God’s love for us is reckless. God knows all things, so He could be completely calculated, careful and reserved. But He isn’t. He could consider our actions before we take them and only offer up His love when He knows we would return it. But He doesn’t. He gives Himself away day after day and way after way, without any regard for His personal protection. His love for us is unreserved, unconditional and unlimited. What is our response to this type of love? The only true response is to fall on our knees and fall on our face in acknowledgment that even our best efforts would come short in returning His love, but try we must. We love God, because He first loved us. We could not even attempt to love Him without His grace having been first poured out in our hearts. This is why David acknowledged that He did not just love God, but He was IN LOVE with Him. It was this blissful love that David had for God that kept drawing him to God’s Word. David lived his life in a tireless pursuit of the God who tirelessly pursued him. This is how we are supposed to live.
Closing Confession:
Father, this is a season of expectation for me. My expectation is not high because I know my performance will be perfect or flawless. My expectation is high because I know Your love for me is perfect. Your love is unreserved, unconditional and unlimited. You loved me when I had no regard for You. You gave Yourself away to me time and time and time and time again. You tirelessly pursued me. Now I tirelessly pursue You. I love You because You first loved me. And it is this love that fuels my faith and my never-ending quest to know You better. I launch into this day emboldened, empowered and employed by Your love! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
