Thrive: In the Desert

David

Psalm 63 “A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah. You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. Those who want to kill me will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth. They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals. But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God will glory in him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced.”

David background info

david is the 2nd king of Israel

David is described as a man after Gods own heart

David is an adulter and murderer.

David at the writing of the psalm is most likely fleeing his own son trying to kill him.

absaloam

this is not the first time David has to flee to the wilderness

Longing for the Lord

Psalm 63:1 “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”

how does David say pen a psalm like this or other ones? He longs for or desires the Lord.

Psalm 42:1–2 “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Hunger and thirst for God

we have to need God like we need food.

we need to see how every desire we have ultimately leads to the Lord and any that do not need to be removed

we desire what we treasure

How do we start to desire something? we see something that we want/need

We see it as treasure

we need to make God our treasure.

God remains gloriously all-satisfying. The human heart remains a ceaseless factory of desires. Sin remains powerfully and suicidally appealing. The battle remains: Where will we drink? Where will we feast? Therefore, Desiring God is still a compelling and urgent message: Feast on God.

John Piper

Remembering the Lord

Psalm 63:2 “I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.”

Psalm 63:6 “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.”

We are prone to forget what God has done right after he delivers us. This is a pattern we see in ancient Israel and in us to.

Remembering shows us the Lord’s faithfulness

1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Remembering soothes anxiety

Psalm 63:6 “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.”

When we see what all God has done it reminds us that he will not fail. So in the times when we feel most anxious or are anxious prone David thinks of the Lord and what he has done.

Praising the Lord

Psalm 63:4–5 “I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.”

Our praise is not dependent on where we are but who we are praising.

Praise is about God not our situation

our praise can change others

story of paul and silas in prison

Praise also centers us on what is important. It takes our eyes off of us and onto Jesus.

when we don’t feel like we need to praise.