How do I love Him?

The beauty of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “How do I love thee,” came to mind as I read an inventory of God’s actions on man’s behalf in Psalm 146.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

On occasion I follow the discipline of reading five Psalms and one chapter of Proverbs daily throughout a month. The blend of instruction, counsel, wisdom and worship has been life-enriching as songs and proverbs mingle and mix, stirred by the Spirit into life application. (Have you ever considered that the primary authors are father and son, David and Solomon?)

This morning’s songfest began with the 146th Psalm,
I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live!

Following that commitment to praise is a catalogue of God actions which arouses worship from within. The Lord,

• remains faithful forever.
• upholds the cause of the oppressed.
• gives food to the hungry.
• sets the prisoner free.
• gives sight to the blind.
• lifts up those who are bowed down.
• loves the righteous.
• watches over the alien.
• sustains the fatherless and widow.
• frustrates the ways of the wicked.
• reigns forever ... for all generations.
How do we love Him? Let us count the ways! You and I may never be able write a poem as beautiful as Browning, or a song as stunning as King David, but we ought to develop the desire and skill of loving God to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach. Let us grow into new expressions of praise, more beautiful demonstrations of love for Him who declares His affections for us in numberless ways. He who remains faithful forever is deserving of more than routine, rote, soulless responses.