Your unfailing love is better than life itself; 
how I praise you! 
I will praise you as long as I live, 
lifting up my hands to you in prayer. 
Psalm 63:3-4 NLT 

Unfailing. What an adjective! The very definition of unfailing uses words like constant, inexhaustible, infallible, and sure. Those words don’t always describe me or the way I love those around me. My love could probably often be described as exhaustible, fickle, and very conditional. That is human nature. Even on our best days, our love pales in comparison with the love of God. That’s the way it should be. We were never meant to love in our own strength. We were always meant to love others with the overflow of His love. To love as God loves, we first need to realize how much He really does love us. 

The whole of Psalm 63 follows King David into the wilderness while he is on the run from his enemies. I would assume a situation like this would be the time I would doubt God’s love the most. But David didn’t. This was one of the times he trusted God’s love for him the most. His circumstances were hard and fearful, but he knew God was trustworthy. He knew God was faithful. He put every ounce of his being into giving God glory and praise even though his circumstances hadn’t changed. 

Somehow David kept a thankful heart. 

He had come to know that God’s unfailing love was literally better than life itself. He had tasted and seen His goodness. He knew it trumped anything this world could ever hope to offer. He knew God’s love was unconditional, unyielding, and unwavering. 

I need to be reminded of that truth often. People disappoint. Seasons can be hard. Sin rears its ugly head. And yet, the Creator of the universe sees the depths of our hearts and loves us the same. 

God’s love for us is not dependent on our faithfulness. It depends on His. He is love. 

He sees our sins and offers us forgiveness. He sees our flaws and offers us grace. He sees our doubt and offers us truth. He sees us trapped in a pit and offers us rescue. 

I don’t live in this space as easily as I wish I did. I know myself. I know I don’t always treat others well. I know my weaknesses and insecurities and the sin I try so hard to fight. Through it all, God loves me. And He loves you. He pursues us at all costs and to great lengths. His pursuit of us is constant. He fights for us. He loves us that much. He sees past who we are now and sees the potential of who we are called to be. 

If we think God views us in a negative light, He doesn’t. I’ve never been more glad to be wrong. He calls us: 

Chosen. 

Holy. 

Beloved. 

I pray that we will learn to find our identity in the One who is faithful, rest in His unfailing love, and live out of the overflow into the lives of the broken world around us. 

 

By Karina Allen as originally featured on (in)courage, a DaySpring community.