Intimacy with God Series IV

The Pleasure of His Presence

1. Pursue with Passion

Psalm 63:1–3 (ESV)

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you,

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,

beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.

Psalm 42:1–2 (ESV)

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

2. Praise with Purpose

Psalm 63:4–6 (ESV)

So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

To praise God without praying to Him would be impossible. To pray to God without praising Him would be ungrateful.

God In Heaven, And Men On The Sea, Volume 58, Sermon #3321 - Psalm 65:5

Charles Spurgeon

3. Proclaim with Promise

Psalm 63:7–11 (ESV)

for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. But those who seek to destroy my life

shall go down into the depths of the earth; they shall be given over to the power of the sword;

they shall be a portion for jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.

Jeremiah 17:5 (ESV)

Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man

and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.

Jeremiah 17:7 (ESV)

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.

The men who trust God are the men who can be trusted.

Anonymous

Consider…

1. How does the analogy of the deer panting for water illustrate our need for God?

2. In what practical ways can you 'pursue with passion' a closer relationship with God this week?

3. What does it mean to you personally to praise God with purpose, especially in challenging times?