There’s an old Southern Gospel song that reflects a truth about the effects of logging a few miles as a sojourner of God . . . captures something of the reality of having encountered opportunities for “the theory” to put be put into practice . . . expresses the heart’s declaration of those who have actually “tasted” and seen that the Lord is good. The opening words of the chorus are, “The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows” (© Bill Gaither, 1965). And what brought this sentiment to mind are three words that I came across this morning in Psalm 31. It’s not the first occurrence of this phrase in the Scriptures . . . but it is the first time I’m reading it this year because of how my daily reading plan is structured. And it is the first time the exhortation is made in the context of a response rather than in the context of a command . . .

Love the LORD, all you His saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!   (Psalm 31:23-24 ESV)

Love the LORD, all you His saints! You’ll find it as a “command to obey” throughout Deuteronomy (looks like 5 times) . . . and a couple of times in Joshua, again linked with walking in His ways. And, to be sure, it’s a good thing to determine up front to love the LORD, “with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deut. 6:5). But I think that love takes on a “different flavor” when it comes from a place of responding to God’s interaction with your life. When it flows from a place of having known God’s faithfulness on your behalf. To be sure, we are to love the LORD for who He is . . . but I’m also thinking that we can’t help but love the LORD for what He’s done.

Not exactly sure of the circumstances around David’s writing of Psalm 31 . . . but you know it’s one of those “desperate need” times. He looks to the LORD as his refuge (v.1) . . . he cries out for God to incline His ear and to rescue him speedily (v.2) . . . his eye is “wasted from grief” (v.9) . . . he’s crushed by the knowledge of his own failures (v.10) . . . and his enemies have made him a reproach to his neighbors (v. 11). Tough times, to say the least. And so David cries out to the LORD.

But current desperation is placed in the context of past experience . . .

Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.   (Psalm 31:5 ESV)

David can trust God with today’s situation because He recalls yesterday’s salvation. David commits his spirit to the LORD, because God has shown Himself faithful. He can cry for “grace to help in time of need” for the LORD has shown Himself gracious (v.9). He can rest in the LORD’s goodness because he has experienced, first hand, the abundance of God’s goodness (v.19). He has known the wondrous working of the LORD’s steadfast love on his behalf (v.21) . . . he remembers times past when God heard the voice of his pleas for mercy . . . times when God responded to his cries for help (v.22). And so, though in the valley, David, led by the Spirit of God, calls upon God’s people, all you His saints, to the love the LORD.

This is not “I got to because I got to” obedience . . . this is “I want to . . . I’m compelled to . . . I delight to . . . because He has shown Himself faithful, again and again” responsiveness.

Or, as captured by my friend, Billy G., “The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows!” . . . and the more I love the LORD!