6 Increase the days of the king's life, his years for many generations. 7 May he be enthroned in God's presence forever; appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him. 8 Then will I ever sing praise to your name and fulfill my vows day after day. (NIV)
“If you love me” is a phrase my wife and I mutually agreed to ban from our relationship early in our marriage. It smacks of manipulation and conditional love because something is always going to follow “If you love me…” You wouldn’t leave your dirty underwear on the bathroom floor. You wouldn’t use my razor to shave your legs. You’d do the dishes without being asked. You’d understand why I have to work late. The list goes on. The love we receive from God is unconditional, given freely and graciously, with no strings attached. His love is more than a gift; it’s a model for how we are to love others. So no “If you love me’s” allowed around our house. However, verses six through eight in today’s psalm almost sounds like one of these statements. The psalmist petitions God to give the king and his descendants’ long and prosperous life and then seems to promise that if God follows through, he’ll reciprocate with worship and the completion of his half of the bargain. While it my sound like an “If you love me” moment, there’s a fine line between manipulation and motivation. Instead of trying to manipulate God into answering his prayer, the psalmist is actually motivated by what he is already confident God will do according to his request in verses six and seven. He is so sure that God is listening, responsive and willing to give us what we ask for that he wants God to know how he will respond – with praise and by being as faithful to God as he is sure God is faithful to him. Our confidence in God adopts a new catch phrase into the household vocabulary: “Because I love you” replaces “If you love me”.
