Opening Prayer: O God, thank you that your great affection is
a river of delights from which we can drink without end. Help us to live in your love all the minutes of
this day. Amen.
Scripture: Psalm 36:5-10
Journal: What words or images in this Psalm make life well
up within you? How does it meet you in
your places of deepest longing? Do you
really believe that this is what God wants for you? Will you feast? Will you drink? What is your response to His invitation
today?
Reflection:
How do you explain the unexplainable? It seems like that is a problem God often
runs into. Not necessarily a problem for
him, after all, he’s God. But more a
problem for us as we attempt to get our minds and hearts around things that are
so much bigger than we dare dream about.
I think that’s why God often speaks in the language of metaphor. He gives us visual images that we can
understand to try and help us begin to fathom things we can’t. His love, being a classic example. Since we are finite, how can we possibly
understand a love that’s infinite? Since
we are conditional, how can we begin to comprehend a love that is
unconditional?
God uses many different words and images
to describe his great affection. Here in
Psalm 36 the main word he uses is chesed, which highlights the eternal
nature of his love. It is often
translated as his “steadfast” or “unchanging” love. It is a love that is almost exclusively used
to describe the way that only God can love.
It is a love that is not going anywhere.
It is a love that will never fail, never waver, never run dry. Thus, the image of a river. A river from which God invites to drink, that
we might know the depths of his delight.
Prayers
Closing Prayer: O God, your love is a raging river. Sweep us away in the torrents of your great
affection. Through Jesus Christ our
Savior. Amen.
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