Because He Loves Me
Those who know me know that I love to read. It’s a good thing that I am a librarian by profession and I get to be around books almost every day. Right now, I have a book at home I am reading, another one at work that I want to start, I begin my day with reading my Bible (a chapter of Psalms, a chapter of Proverbs, the story of the prodigal son in the book of Luke and finally, what I call “spot reading”, which is flipping through the Bible and reading whatever chapter I happen to land on. I have just recently started reading through a daily devotional at work. The old adage that an idle mind is devil’s playground is something I don’t take lightly.
My devotional reading today was Psalms 91: 14-16:
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” (NIV)
Let’s take a look at the first word of that Psalm. “Because”. Did I mention that I used to be an English teacher? So I love language and words as well. “Because”. It’s what is known as a “conditional conjunction”. It connects the two clauses, or sections, of the sentence. Now, what that means is that the one clause (didn’t know that you were going back to school, did you?) describes something that did or will happen if the condition of the other clause was or is satisfied. In other words, there are conditions that have to be met.
So, let’s take another look at those verses. You will see everything that God has promised to those that love Him: rescue, protection, answers to prayer, a help in time of trouble, deliverance, honor, long life, and best of all, salvation.
In other words, God blesses those who love Him. I love the way the King James Bible expresses the beginning of verse 14:
“Because he hath set his love upon me…”
The “he” that is referred to is us. “Me” is God. The word “set” means “to assume a state” or “fixed”. This implies that the choice is ours, we make the first move.
I chose to love and move toward God during this season in my life. I could easily have walked away from Him, bitter at the hand life had dealt me. But God never walks away from us. It’s us that do the moving, whether away from Him or towards Him. God is never shaken, unsettled, or disturbed. But unfortunately, many times we are.
I am reminded of the words to the hymn:
O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There’s a light for a look at the Savior, And life more abundant and free!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.
Through death into life everlasting He passed, and we follow Him there; Over us sin no more hath dominion— For more than conquerors we are!
His Word shall not fail you—He promised; Believe Him, and all will be well: Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell!
~Barb Scott
