Grace > Life – Psalms 63:3

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips will praise You.

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The grace of God exceeds the value of our life. To put it mathematically: Grace > Life. Father God’s lovingkindness is the foundation for our very existence. It is His grace that allows for every good thing and through it, we came to be. Through it, all was created for His glory and pleasure. Through it, we who are broken and lost are redeemed and reconciled to Him. It is through His inclination and action that all are made whole. In Him all things hold together.

Life is a gift. Even though that sounds like something from a Hallmark card, it is still true. No one and no thing came to be of its own decision. In the beginning there was nothing but a formless void and then the voice of God. Through the graciousness of His speaking, all things came to be. The implications are profound but in this instance, my purpose is to illustrate the profundity of this verse from King David, the man after God’s own heart.

We value life. We enhance our existence at every opportunity. We nurture our mind, soul and body. It is our identity – who we are. Yet, something stands greater and far more significant than even our existence. Something sweeter and more powerful. We value our lives greatly and still there is clearly something of more value even than our lives. It is the lovingkindness, the grace, of God.

As the song writers say ‘His grace is enough.’

‘Your grace finds me.’

‘Amazing grace. How sweet the sound.’

It is all around us this grace. It is before us and behind us. It was there in the beginning, speaking and acting. It will be there in the end delivering justice and salvation. It is our hope. It is our strength. It is our life. And yet, the grace of God is even better than our life. The lovingkindness of God even exceeds the value of our very life for without it we would have no life. No existence. No hope. Who can even imagine such nothingness? No one. As Aristotle said, ‘Nothing is what rocks dream about.’

Thus, our lips will praise you, God of all Grace. Your lovingkindness is better than life.