Day 6

Psalm 36: 7-9 offers an image of abundance that is first tender. The psalmist doesn’t begin with power or riches, but with refuge. “How priceless is your unfailing love, O God. People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” Before there is plenty, there is shelter. Before abundance becomes something we receive, it is something we rest within.

Only then does the psalm speak of fullness. “They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.” This abundance is not earned or accumulated. It is given. The image of the river is important. It flows. It refreshes. God’s generosity is not anxious or scarce. It is steady … lavish in its kindness. The image here is not pleading, plotting or hoarding. It is being welcomed—invited to the table, invited to drink deeply.

And at the center of it all is life itself. “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” God stretches abundance here far beyond provision. It is about illumination. God gives what helps us live and what helps us see. The abundance of God restores our vitality and reshapes our vision. In God’s light, we begin to see differently—ourselves, others, and the world around us. We begin to understand what seeing actually is.

This psalm gently reorients our understanding of abundance. God’s generosity is not limited to material blessing or emotional ease. It is the abundance of love that shelters us, grace that sustains us, mercy that renews us, and light that helps us find our way. God does not give sparingly. God gives what we need to live.