Better life? Better than life

Thu 16Apr09    Psalm 63: 1 - 11  KJV

Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. v3

Recently, a number of my colleagues have resigned.  Some of them, with post-graduate degrees, have gone over to a new university nearby to teach.  Others have moved on to other types of work, saying that they are tired of teaching. There were a few who have not found another job yet, and they are relying on their savings, financial investments, private tuition etc for the time being.

All of them have left for one common reason: dissatisfaction with life at their current place of work, arising from a perceived "badness" of working conditions and management practices.  They have all gone for a better life.

I have not been spared from similar unhappiness too. In fact, I've been outspoken in raising some issues where many of my ex-colleagues have preferred to remain silent over the eleven years I've worked here.   I would also like to move on to a better life.

This morning, I am reminded of Psalm 63. The opening verse is a passionate, nay, even desperate plea to God. It appears to be written by someone who is thirsty, who is dissatisfied in life.

O God, thou art my God, early will I seek thee;

my soul thirsteth for thee,

my flesh longeth for thee

in a dry and thirsty land,

where no water is;  v.1

There is a difference though, between the Psalmist and many of us. He is not thirsting for a better life. He is not yearning for better working conditions, or a higher standard of living. Instead he is thirsting for something better than life.  He is thirsting for God, and for His love. In verse 3 he says that God's loving kindness is the better choice. 

Dear Christians, have we been lost in seeking a better life?  Let us seek God instead. The world around us is like a dry and thirsty land, without any water.  Let us rise up early each day to seek God, to thirst for Him in our souls, and to long for him in our flesh.  And together with the Psalmist, we can lift up our hands in His name and bless Him with our lips.

God's loving kindness - it's better than life.