When someone loves another, there is a compelling desire to express it. Hence those timeless words: "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!"

I wonder, when do we feel compelled to express sincere, overflowing love to our Lord? It takes different things for different people, but God's personal dealings in our lives are designed to generate a renewed love for Him.

One instance of God's work in my life stands out in my memory. Due to mounting pressures in my life, my energies were slowly ebbing away and love for God was far from my mind. Although I wasn't thinking of Psalm 18 at the time, I did what David did in verse 6: "I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God." Applied to my stormy situation, verse 16 could be worded like this: "The Lord sent me strength from above and kept me from sinking beneath waves of human weakness." Oh, how I loved Him then, not only because He had given me strength, but because God was my strength.

Think back to the Lord's special work in your life. Or call on Him for today's needs. Then compose your own psalm of love: "I will love You, O Lord, my . . ."  — Joanie Yoder