Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. (Psalm 63:3, ESV)
In Psalm 63, as in much of David’s life, he was under the constant threat of his enemies. Much like Paul in the New Testament, opposition surrounded him. Persecution, suffering, and trials were never absent, and there was no promise that they would escape them. Did these men shy away in their faith? Did they curse God? Did their light dim or fade? No! But why? Or how? How could these men keep on rejoicing in the Lord in the midst of such uncertainty? Their very lives could be taken away at the blink of an eye. How did they persevere?
Because His steadfast love is better than life. Paul said, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” Our identity, being found as His beloved children, gives us power to press on. Being found in His love is better than life, so that whatever we pass through, we know to whom we belong. What can separate us from His love? We all know the answer to that. Nothing!
Paul sums up his life by saying “to live is Christ”. For him to live is to be have Christ as the center of all things; to rejoice in His presence and comforts. But there is one thing better than that! The one thing that is better than living for Christ is to live with Christ; to be with Jesus in heaven, the place of fullness of joy. So death was never an obstacle. Death was the gateway to fullness of joy at His right hand. It is our hope, the end for which we live. To live is Christ, but to die is gain. There is no greater position than to sit in His steadfast love.
So back to Psalm 63:3. David’s lips will praise God through any painful circumstance because God’s love is better than life itself. The things of this world can not compare to the steadfast love of God. Stop and think today that if you are in Christ, there is now no longer any condemnation. We are His sons, His beloved sons. Children of the King, the Creator, the one who governs all things. There is no sting in death. No, there is victory in death as we will live in His steadfast love forever. Therefore, take courage and press on for His glory.
– J.C. Hahne
It's All By Grace! 