7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures
9 For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.
10 Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 Let not the foot of pride come against me,
And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 There the workers of iniquity have fallen;
They have been cast down and are not able to rise. —Psalm 36:7-12
There is no other quality that fills my heart with gratitude more than the The Lord’s lovingkindness. His steadfast love surrounds me like a shield, and in times of trial and trouble it is what draws me into His Presence. My God is loving and He is kind. He keeps me as the apple of His eye and hides me under the shadow of His wings. He is tender toward me.
David does a good and wise thing here, and in it he is a good example. He stops and shifts his perspective from his enemies (vs 1-4) and sets his mind instead on the immeasurable attributes of His God! (Vs 5-9). David delights in His God who is merciful, faithful and righteous altogether. Believers rest securely, ensconced under the shelter of His wings and covered with His feathers. Verse 8 finds them not just satisfied, but abundantly satisfied with the fullness (fatness) of His house. They drink from the river of His pleasures. That picture taken by itself is enough to turn my mourning to dancing.
According to Warren Wiersbe, the word pleasure comes from the same Hebrew root as “Eden” in Genesis 2 and 3. When man fell in the garden, they were cast out of Eden. But God, because of his great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses and sins, made us alive together with Him! Through our faith in Christ, we have access into His Presence and live permanently in His unmerited favor, where His steadfast love toward us never ceases.
In Him is the fountain of life. In His light I see light! Beloved, God is the source of all physical and spiritual life. He is also the Source and Sustainer of all and makes even my darkest moments light about me! O come let us walk in His light and allow it to shine in our hearts! The LORD makes our path like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter as we draw nearer and nearer to our heavenly home. In His presence is fullness of joy, and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore.
In verses 10-12 David examples his dependence on God through prayer and then reminds us (vs 12) to keep our perspective by dwelling on those things that are true.
Praying that we do as David did when we, like David, lose our “God” perspective and begin to sink...deliberate, depend and delight ourselves in Him. Rejoice all you upright in heart! The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad!
The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me.—Psalm 42:8
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.—Romans 15:13
