The Gift and the Giver

“How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.”
Psalm 36:7–9 NIV

The coffee has gone lukewarm, someone is telling a story for the second time, and nobody seems eager to leave the table. The meal was enjoyable, but being together made it even better. The familiar stories, the laughter, even the interruptions became part of the pleasure. Nothing extraordinary had to happen. It was simply good to be with people we loved. There's something wonderful about a relationship that makes even ordinary things more enjoyable. And perhaps we've only begun to discover how far that kind of joy can reach.

David, an ancient king of Israel, begins this psalm describing how easily people can lose sight of what is good. Yet when he turns his attention to God, what he sees is breathtaking. “Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies” (Psalm 36:5). Then comes his delighted exclamation, “How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!” And here is the wonder. The very love that reaches to the heavens is close enough to shelter even us “in the shadow of your wings,” right here and now.

But David doesn't stop at finding shelter. His picture grows unexpectedly rich. “They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.” There's something here worth uncovering. The feast is enjoyed in God's very own house, in His presence. Another psalmist expresses a profound discovery in a few remarkable words. “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you” (Psalm 73:25). The blessings are certainly good. But knowing the One who gives them brings a richness that the blessings alone could never provide.

There's something even more remarkable about growing to know God. The more we discover His goodness, the more clearly we begin to see the world around us. “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” Paul, one of Jesus' early followers, knew that clearer sight didn't make life's troubles disappear. He described being “hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair” (2 Corinthians 4:8). What a distinction! The trouble was real, but it wasn't all that was real. Could this be part of seeing in God's light, discovering that His goodness remains present even when life is difficult?

Some blessings arrive unexpectedly, others in different ways than we'd hoped, and some of the things we long for may never come. Yet God's goodness isn't ours to measure by what He gives or when He gives it. We can receive today's blessings with gratitude, without needing to decide what tomorrow's blessings should look like. And what a wonderful freedom it is to enjoy His gifts while trusting the Giver, no matter what He chooses to give, or how and when He chooses to give it.

Prayer

Father, thank You for Your blessings and for Your faithful love. Teach me to receive Your gifts with gratitude and to trust Your goodness, even when Your ways differ from what I hoped for. Amen.