(Note: The Graphics are AI-generated.)

Some days I wonder what in the world is happening to our world. I listen to the news, read the headlines, and watch people justify behavior that once would have been considered unthinkable.

David had similar concerns in Psalm 36. The psalm begins with a troubling description of the wicked. David paints a portrait of people who do not fear God: they flatter themselves, speak falsely, and have completely given up doing good (vv. 1–4).

But what captures my attention is how dramatically David changes direction in verse 5.

“Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.”

David stops looking at the wickedness around him and starts looking at the goodness above him. Perhaps that’s exactly what I need to do more often. It’s easy to become so preoccupied with what’s wrong in the world that I forget everything right about God.

David reminds me that God’s steadfast love reaches to the heavens. His faithfulness stretches to the clouds. His righteousness is like mighty mountains, and His judgments are like the great deep (vv. 5–6). In other words, God’s character is not diminished by the world’s condition.

And then David writes something especially beautiful in verse 9:

“For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.”

I have found that focusing too much on the negatives clouds my perspective. I can become discouraged, frustrated, and sometimes even fearful about what tomorrow might bring. But when I return to God’s Word, something changes. My circumstances may be the same, but I begin to see them differently.

God’s light doesn’t necessarily change what I’m looking at. It changes how I see it.

Psalm 36 doesn’t ask me to ignore evil or pretend the world isn’t broken. It reminds me that evil doesn’t get the final word. God does. And His steadfast love still reaches to the heavens. The world may give me plenty of reasons to be discouraged, but God’s character gives me every reason to remain hopeful.

One final thought. Psalm 37:7 is a beautiful verse that contrasts the vastness of God’s love in verse 5 and the intimacy of His protection in verse 7:

“How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.”

His love extends to the heavens, yet He invites me to shelter beneath His wings.