God Is... Loving

God is the source of love; his affections are loyal and steadfast.

Psalms: 57, 63, 66, 103

PSALM 103

Read through the entire Psalm.
Now, read through it again and do the following:

Circle descriptions of who God is or what he does for us.
Underline how we are instructed to respond to God’s love.
If there are any words you don’t know or understand, write them to the side and take a moment to define.

A psalm of David.

1 Let all that I am praise the Lord;

with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.

2 Let all that I am praise the Lord;

may I never forget the good things he does for me.

3 He forgives all my sins

and heals all my diseases.

4 He redeems me from death

and crowns me with love and tender mercies.

5 He fills my life with good things.

My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

6 The Lord gives righteousness

and justice to all who are treated unfairly.

7 He revealed his character to Moses

and his deeds to the people of Israel.

8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful,

slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

9 He will not constantly accuse us,

nor remain angry forever.

10 He does not punish us for all our sins;

he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.

11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him

is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

12 He has removed our sins as far from us

as the east is from the west.

13 The Lord is like a father to his children,

tender and compassionate to those who fear him.

14 For he knows how weak we are;

he remembers we are only dust.

15 Our days on earth are like grass;

like wildflowers, we bloom and die.

16 The wind blows, and we are gone—

as though we had never been here.

17 But the love of the Lord remains forever

with those who fear him.

His salvation extends to the children’s children

18 of those who are faithful to his covenant,

of those who obey his commandments!

19 The Lord has made the heavens his throne;

from there he rules over everything.

20 Praise the Lord, you angels,

you mighty ones who carry out his plans,

listening for each of his commands.

21 Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels

who serve him and do his will!

22 Praise the Lord, everything he has created,

everything in all his kingdom.

Let all that I am praise the Lord.

PSALM 66

For the choir director: A song. A psalm.

1 Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth!

2 Sing about the glory of his name!

Tell the world how glorious he is.

3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!

Your enemies cringe before your mighty power.

4 Everything on earth will worship you;

they will sing your praises,

shouting your name in glorious songs.” Interlude

5 Come and see what our God has done,

what awesome miracles he performs for people!

6 He made a dry path through the Red Sea,

and his people went across on foot.

There we rejoiced in him.

7 For by his great power he rules forever.

He watches every movement of the nations;

let no rebel rise in defiance. Interlude

8 Let the whole world bless our God

and loudly sing his praises.

9 Our lives are in his hands,

and he keeps our feet from stumbling.

10 You have tested us, O God;

you have purified us like silver.

11 You captured us in your net

and laid the burden of slavery on our backs.

12 Then you put a leader over us.

We went through fire and flood,

but you brought us to a place of great abundance.

13 Now I come to your Temple with burnt offerings

to fulfill the vows I made to you—

14 yes, the sacred vows that I made

when I was in deep trouble.

15 That is why I am sacrificing burnt offerings to you—

the best of my rams as a pleasing aroma,

and a sacrifice of bulls and male goats. Interlude

16 Come and listen, all you who fear God,

and I will tell you what he did for me.

17 For I cried out to him for help,

praising him as I spoke.

18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,

the Lord would not have listened.

19 But God did listen!

He paid attention to my prayer.

20 Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer

or withdraw his unfailing love from me.

Questions:

Rewrite Psalm 66 in your own words. What is the author saying?
According to this Psalm, how should we respond to God?
Who does this passage say that God is? How is God’s love shown to his people?

PSALM 57

For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time he fled from Saul and went into the cave. To be sung to the tune “Do Not Destroy!”

1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy!

I look to you for protection.

I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings

until the danger passes by.

2 I cry out to God Most High,

to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.

3 He will send help from heaven to rescue me,

disgracing those who hound me. Interlude

My God will send forth his unfailing love and faithfulness.

4 I am surrounded by fierce lions

who greedily devour human prey—

whose teeth pierce like spears and arrows,

and whose tongues cut like swords.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens!

May your glory shine over all the earth.

6 My enemies have set a trap for me.

I am weary from distress.

They have dug a deep pit in my path,

but they themselves have fallen into it. Interlude

7 My heart is confident in you, O God;

my heart is confident.

No wonder I can sing your praises!

8 Wake up, my heart!

Wake up, O lyre and harp!

I will wake the dawn with my song.

9 I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.

I will sing your praises among the nations.

10 For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens.

Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

11 Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.

May your glory shine over all the earth.

GUIDED PRAYER

Response to Psalm 57

Dear God,

I pray that you will have mercy on me and protect me from the fears surrounding me. Lord, you are my loving protector; help me humble myself and trust that you are safe, secure, and sovereign over every circumstance.

Lord, I trust you in _________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________ situation that your unfailing love and faithfulness will sustain me. (vs 3)Even when I feel surrounded by my enemies, I trust that you will remain faithful. Help me to function in a way that shows confidence in this truth, and may this confidence urge me to praise you with my life (vs 6–7).

Lord, thank you for rescuing me from _________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________. situation. Help me to give you all the praise you deserve because of your great love and unwavering faithfulness to your people. (vs 10) Lord, may this great love be displayed and honored through my life and bring glory to your name. Thank you, Lord, for this great love you have for us that we don’t deserve!

Amen

PSALM 63

A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah.

1 O God, you are my God;

I earnestly search for you.

My soul thirsts for you;

my whole body longs for you

in this parched and weary land

where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in your sanctuary

and gazed upon your power and glory.

3 Your unfailing love is better than life itself;

how I praise you!

4 I will praise you as long as I live,

lifting up my hands to you in prayer.

5 You satisfy me more than the richest feast.

I will praise you with songs of joy.

6 I lie awake thinking of you,

meditating on you through the night.

7 Because you are my helper,

I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.

8 I cling to you;

your strong right hand holds me securely.

9 But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin.

They will go down into the depths of the earth.

10 They will die by the sword

and become the food of jackals.

11 But the king will rejoice in God.

All who swear to tell the truth will praise him,

while liars will be silenced.

Reflect

In this Psalm, David emphasizes God’s love being greater than life and his greatest satisfaction even in the midst of hardship. What is your first response in the midst of trial? Does your understanding of God’s unfailing love move you to respond like David?
What did you learn this week about God being loving?
How have you experienced the love of God in your life?

For Further Study

Psalm 36
Philippians 2:1–11
1 Peter 2:21–25
1 John 4:7–21
Romans 5:1–11
Romans 8:31–39

Songs

Come Thou Fount
Greater Still
Unfailing (Psalm 5)