How precious is your steadfast love, oh God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life. In your light do we see light.
– Psalm 36:7–9
Is that not amazing imagery? I just think of all the images describing who God is and how God loves and satisfies those who look to Him.
Psalm 36:7–9 Is a Beautiful Picture of God’s Love
Psalm 36:7. Steadfast love, unfailing, always reliable. Always, constant love that is precious. It’s valuable. It’s a treasure. “How precious is Your steadfast love, the children of mankind, oh God. Take refuge.” There’s refuge in God. There’s rest and restoration, and redemption, and safety, and security. “Refuge in the shadow of your wings.” Picture the wings of God giving you refuge.
Then verse 8, “They feast on the abundance of your house.” God is a feast. His presence, His glory, His house where He dwells is a place for you and me to feast, to eat, to enjoy. “You give them drink from the river of your delights.” What a picture, a river of delights.
Just picture the river flowing with delights and you get to drink as much as you want from it. “For with you is the fountain of life, the spring of life.” Of life. Life just springs from God, abundant life. And then verse 9 closes and says, “In your light, do we see light.” He is light in a dark world and despairing world. He is light and hope and peace and joy. Oh God, we praise you according to your word in Psalm 36, “We praise you for your precious, steadfast love.”
Psalm 36:7–9 Reminds Us God’s Love Provides Eternal Security
Just pray. Every single person listening to this right now would know in a fresh way, feel in a fresh way how precious is your steadfast love for them as they trust in you, that they would find refuge, strength and security and rest right now in the shadow of your wings.
God, that today, each of us with feast on the abundance of your house, that we would drink deeply, continually today from the river of your delight, that the fountain of life that you are would be a spring in our hearts welling up to more abundance today in you. Not in this world. In you, in your word, in your glory. For in your light do we see light. We don’t look to this world for light. We look to you for light. And we praise you for the light of the world that you are Jesus, for the light you bring in our lives, the peace and joy and hope that you are.
Praying for the Bole People of Nigeria
Oh God, we love your word. We love you, God. We praise you for all your attributes. And we pray God that all the peoples of the world would see and know these things about you. God calls the Bole people of Nigeria to know how precious your steadfast love is. Lord, we intercede for them right now, cause your gospel to go and spread among the Bole of Nigeria, that they might take refuge in the shadow of your wings, that they might feast from the abundance of your house, that they might drink from the river of your delights, that they might find in you the fountain of life, that they might see light in your light.
God, please, we pray this for all the nations of the world. You help us to share this good news boldly today right where we live and wherever you lead us in the world. We love you, God. We praise you according to your word in Psalm 36:7–9. In Jesus’ name, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
