by David Scott Robertson
"Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you" Psalm 63:3
I remember this verse.
As a 12-year old young person I heard this verse in church being quoted by the pastor.
I even remember where I was sitting that day - on the back pew.
The reason I remember it so well is because at the time I didn't believe it.
I remember having a conversation with myself after the passage was quoted.
In my mind I was challenging the pastor's declaration and the conclusion I arrived at was (employing the wisdom and mental faculties of a 12-year-old mind): "I disagree with that scripture. My life is better than God's love." I remember disagreeing with the pastor and rejecting outright what he said was true.
As a 7th grader who had not yet been born again, I had just gotten out of school for summer vacation. My mind was filled with thoughts of all the fun a 7th grader could get into being freed from prison for three months. After all, how could the "love of God" possibly compare with my friends, riding my bike, swimming, watching television, playing tennis, and getting into everything I could get in to? God's love sounding "boring" to me. At the time I thought trading my idea of fun for God's love was a poor trade. I concluded it was a crummy deal and I wasn't buying it.
Right then and there, as I was daydreaming (little did I know that I was doing what the Bible calls "counting the cost" of being a disciple of Jesus) I made up my mind, that my life was better than God's love.
I was wrong.
I spent the entire summer without God. I went on "vacation" and left God at church.
Oh, I visited God at His house on Sundays, but it was to me kind of like visiting an elderly aunt because your parents made you. I would have much preferred to go to my friends' house instead of God's house any day of the week.
Church and a relationship with the Lord were the furthest thing from my mind. After all, I was having fun! I was enjoying my life! I'm young, I've got a lot of living to do! (or so I thought).
I was spending lots of time with my friends, swimming, watching television, playing tennis and getting into everything I could get in to. But somewhere along the line, it happened. It hit me. Subtly at first, but the feelings grew. There came a time during that summer break that I came to an understanding that my life of exciting adventures apart from God was not all that it was cracked up to be.
Later, in retrospect, I have come to understand that the prayers of my parents and other Christians who cared enough about me to pray were laboring together with God and the result of their intercession for me was conviction.
Conviction is the best and worst thing a 12-year-old boy can experience. It is a grace gift from God that says "I've not given up on you".
As the crazy, lazy days of summer began to draw to a close, I had time to think. And during some of those "thinking times" up in tree, wading in a creek, riding my bike alone, somewhere along the line I began to review and evaluate my summer adventures. And when I tallied it all up, to my surprise, I came up short. And somewhere in all of that I made a startling discovery about myself - a realization that comes to every man and woman on the planet sooner or later, at one time or another - and that was that inside I was empty
And although I didn't understand it at the time (and I certainly didn't have enough theology in me to comprehend that God was working on me) I began to become increasingly aware of this profound, hollowness inside me that everything I tried to stuff in there didn't fill. Something was missing that friends, sports, and television couldn't replace.
And in those moments of "thinking" my belief system began to crumble. My firm conviction that my life was better than God's love began to waffle and waiver. The foundation of my faith had basically been built upon the trinity of me, myself, and I. (I was about to encounter the real Trinity!)
One Sunday morning I went to church as usual with my parents (thank God for parents who had enough on the ball spiritually to faithfully take the family to church!) I have no idea what the preacher preached that day but it was enough. He and the Holy Spirit were tag-teaming and putting the hurt on my pride, error, and sin.
It was enough and instead of crying "uncle" I cried "Lord" and gave up. When the altar call was given I irresistibly responded and knelt at an altar and invited Jesus to move in to my heart and life.
I got saved that day. I really did experience the "new birth" and became a child of God and I will never forget the peace that flooded my soul. I loved everybody and thought everybody loved me. And I began the greatest adventure of my life.
It's been thirty years since that day and this coming Sunday you will find me faithfully taking my wife and daughter to church.
Since that wonderful day I have developed the good habit of daily Bible reading. And each time I encounter Psalm 63:3 in my readings, thoughts similar to those I've shared surface.
I started my Bible reading today with Psalm 63:1 but I only got three verses into it when I stopped and began to write what you have now read.
Although I've only read three verses, I think I'm done with my Bible study for the day. It only took 15 seconds to have an experience with God this morning. Tomorrow morning I'll open the Word again and expect something fresh and new to flood my soul. But one thing I know for sure right now that I can tell you, and mean it with all of my heart…
GOD'S LOVE IS BETTER THAN LIFE, MY LIPS WILL GLORIFY HIM!
DSR
7/7/03