Our God Strong and Loving

In hauntingly beautiful words, the psalmist declares,

“One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard:

that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving.” (Psalm 62:11-12a, NIV)

There is much to meditate on in these short verses. What does it mean if God is strong and loving? What rest can we find in the sweet promise of these words?

If God is strong and loving, we have no cause to fear. Our worry subsides in a wave of confident repose.

God’s strength assures us that nothing happens outside his sovereign sway. Even when we suffer, even when evil befalls us, we know that his purpose is being accomplished, his plans are being perfected.

God’s love assures us that these plans and purposes are for our sake, for the glory of his beloved people. Even when we cannot grasp his inscrutable will, when we would be tempted to doubt his goodness, we know his grace and tender mercy are at work, his unfailing love undergirds his every action.

If God is strong and loving, fear, worry, anxiety fade like the evening sun. The peace of God, which surpasses understanding, guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. He is good, and he is able. What then shall we fear?