Love Better Than Life

“Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.”

Psalm 63:3 –

What could possibly be better than life itself? For David, the answer is clear: God’s steadfast love. In the wilderness, with comfort and safety stripped away, he declares that God’s “lovingkindness is better than life.”

This isn’t mere poetry—it’s a profound spiritual truth. “How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!” exclaims Psalm 36:7. And Paul echoes the same eternal perspective in Philippians 1:21: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” For the soul anchored in God, even death cannot steal what matters most.

Charles Spurgeon puts it simply and powerfully: “Life is dear, but God’s love is dearer.” To lose life is tragedy to most—but for David, losing the experience of God’s love would be far worse. He had tasted something so holy, so life-giving, that even life itself paled in comparison.

Matthew Henry agrees: “He would rather lose life than lose God’s favor.” For David, and for every believer, God’s love is not an accessory to life—it is life’s deepest meaning and sweetest gift.

As Donald Coggan observed, “This is love divine—something deeper and higher than earthly experience. It invites not mere admiration but adoration.”

If we have God’s love, we have enough. If we lack it, even the best life leaves us empty.

Prayer:

Lord, your love is better than life. Teach me to treasure your presence above all else. May my lips glorify you not only in comfort but even in the wilderness, because your love sustains my soul. Amen.