Longing for God Ps. 63

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Hoping for a Drink

Illustration:
What is the thirstiest you’ve ever been? I can tell you that, when you are thirsty, you will drink water from anywhere.
When I was a kid, I would play in the woods and not carry a water bottle with me or anything. When I got thirsty, and I certainly did, I would drink right out of a flowing stream.
Have you ever drank from a garden hose? It has a rubbery taste, but when you are thirsty, you don’t care! You just want a drink!
If you’ve ever been to a baseball game or sporting event with no concessions and forgot to bring a drink on a hot day. How does it feel to see others drinking their Cumby slush or DD iced coffee, or bubble tea, or water bottle? That sun beats down on you and your throat gets dry and your mouth gets dry!
Ever been that thirsty and a family member comes up with a drink and just finishes it off right in front of you? Yeah that’s the worst!!!
Have you ever been thirsty and just kept on drinking beyond what seems normal? You’re just still thirsty after you’ve drank several glasses of liquid?
David writes about the wilderness of Judah reminding him of his thirst for God. As he looks around at a dry and weary land where there is no water, it reminds him of his thirsting for God. Let’s read of his longing for God and linger with it for a bit.
Psalm 63 ESV
A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. 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. 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; 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.
This Psalm, most likely refers to David’s retreat from his son, Absalom, who rebelled against him and took over the throne and was seeking to kill him.
Days were spent in finding hiding places, espionage, and planning, and pain. Can you imagine the pain of your own flesh and blood wanting not only your position and authority, but wanting you dead? This is the situation that David finds himself in. The betrayal, the lies, the backbiting, the scheming, and the shame associated with this hostile takeover... you can read about it in 2 Sam 15.
What I find interesting is the peace, solace, contentment, and hope that David finds during this time. How does a military leader with so much responsibility, tasks, oversight, and who any minute could be ambushed and brutally killed by his own people find that kind of a mindset?
Let’s break down this Psalm into four sections.
The first section is simply the very first verse.
Psalm 63:1 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.
There is no greater thirst to have than a thirst for God. Why does David thirst for God? He is a child of God, a writer of Psalms, a worshipper of Yahweh and so on. That is exactly why he is thirsty. He has tasted and seen that the Lord is good! (Ps 34:8)
Thirsting for the wrong things:
Have you ever known someone who only drinks Diet Coke? Or a certain soda or something that is just really bad for them?
Water is best. Do a simple google search and you will see loads of articles commending the drinking of water without anything else added. Studies show that Americans are not drinking enough water. As much as 75% of us are dehydrated, causing fatigue, brain fog, and irritability. So if you’re spouse seems cranky this afternoon, hand them a nice cold glass of water. Lol!
In the same way, though, don’t we reach for things that don’t satisfy our thirst? If you drink enough bad things, it can hurt your health, your teeth, your stomach, your mood. It can also cause you to lose your taste for water. Follow that analogy to its end and you’ll see that when we fill our soul with substitutes for God, we can lose our taste for Him.
David is aware of his soul’s crave. So many are not. They are seeking to be hydrated by cheap imitations like entertainment, likes on social media, attention, sex, power, and money, porn, etc.
I love how Jesus addresses the woman at the well and offers her living water that would satisfy her thirst in John 4:13-14. He later says in John 7:37 that if people are thirsty, they should come to Him and drink and they will find rivers flowing out of their innermost being!
In what ways have you experienced a longing for God?
What substitutes have you used to quench that thirst?
Take a moment and sit with that.
Let’s look at the next section in verses 2-5.
Psalm 63:2–5 ESV
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. 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,
God in the Sanctuary
David said that he has seen God in the sanctuary. He wants to see Him now. How many of us associate God’s presence and activity with the assembly, the time in church and in church activities.
I remember spending a lot of time in the woods as a kid and calling out to God, but when I had an encounter with God in church, I began associating God with the church to the neglect of God outside of church. Can you identify with that?
Do you associate God with church activity, but rarely look for God in your everyday life? Are you hungry and thirsty for an ongoing connection with God?
David is not doing this. He is remembering powerful times with God in corporate worship, and it is fueling his present hope. He assumes that God is present and begins praising God right then and there. What does he say?
He says that God’s love is better than anything else, than life itself. Nothing compares with a connection with God. He says that as long as he is living, he is going to keep glorifying God and praising Him and that lifting up his hands is like a child to a father, wanting to be picked up and held.
Insert Pic Slide:
Consider Katherine Brown’s Jesus and the Lamb and let it wash over your soul.
This is the place of full satisfaction, in the Father’s arms, in the arms of Jesus, overflowing with the Holy Spirit.
In verse 5, David says he will be… will be fully satisfied, like after a big gourmet rich and delicious meal. I love the hope of “will be fully satisfied”. David has been a worshipper of Yahweh long enough to know that when he can get still and focused, he will get a drink. And where is that place for him? At night.
Let’s look at the next section (verse 6-8)
Psalm 63:6–8 ESV
when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; 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.
Now this is super encouraging for me. Someone who is on the run, who has an army looking for him to kill him and take everything, you’d think that person would be a bit anxious. You’d think that they’d have an elevated heart rate. Their blood pressure would be up there. They might have a hard time getting to sleep.
Maybe it would be easy to sympathize with such a person looking to escapes, medication, alcohol, drugs, forbidden pleasures, to deal with that.
??Do you feel that you deserve your escapes because of the pressure and anxiety that you are currently facing? Do you think that your sin is easily excused because of the load that you carry? Are you ready to try something different?
David doesn’t need those escapes to sleep. He has been here before. He had Saul chasing him for a long time to no avail. God kept him safe every time. God was his vindicator, his shield, his salvation, every time.
No, night time was the right time to relive the victories that God had won for him. It was a time to reminisce, to dwell on the promises of God. It was a time to look up at the stars and remember the promises God made to Abraham and how they had been fulfilled in the patriarchs, how God saved Israel under incredible odds, through a miraculous hand under the same sky. He could remember how God led Israel with a cloud by day and a fire by night as he looked at the fire keeping him warm.
He remembers, he thinks of God through the watches of the night. He sings (vs 7) in the shadow of God’s wings. I am reminded of Paul and Silas singing while in chains in prison after a beating. How do you sing under such circumstances. Truly happiness and peace are not circumstantial.
Cling
He ends this section by saying that he clings to God and how God clings to Him and holds him up. This is childlike, but also like a husband and wife. Remember the Genesis passage about leaving mother and father and cleaving to your spouse. David has that kind of desire for God and that kind of resolve to never let go. He knows that his true strength and safety comes from God’s strong right hand.
In the last section, we see a hope for justice. Let’s read again,
Psalm 63:9–11 ESV
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.
This is a big step for David. This is a pain he hasn’t dealt with before. He has experienced betrayal from His father-in-law, but this is from his own child and long time friends. There seems to be no justice, no fairness, no rightness happening right now. It looks, from the outside that they are overwhelmed, but that’s ok. David knows better.
Lion-Bear-Giant
He started with a lion and a bear before he went after a giant. This isn’t his first king or army to deal with either. God always comes through. God will protect him and deal with his enemies, but David will rejoice in God (Ps 63:11). Not only David, but all who swear by Him. God will be the vindicator and will bring an end to gossips and liars and troublemakers.
My experience with betrayal:
You know, I had a season when there was someone who betrayed me and spread lies about me and I did not have an audience or any influence with those people. I could have worried about it and tried to vindicate myself, but it would have been my word against them. The Lord was my confidence. The Lord was my vindicator. He actually gave me great favor with those people and influence and it had nothing to do with me trying to exalt myself, grab at power, or tear down my enemies.
There are a lot of people talking about justice these days. But if you are wanting justice apart from God, you are bound to create more injustice through your own rage and shallowness!
?? Are you in a place right now, where it is hard to trust God? Have you been hurt by people? Has someone lied about you? Have you been neglected, overlooked, mistreated? Have you been waiting on God and it seems like He is never going to come?
Let hope arise in you now. Speak against the enemy of your soul like David does. Rebuke the enemy! “You cannot defeat me in the battlefield of my mind!!! God has come through before and He will come through again! I decide, today, that my hope is in God!”
Which of these truths do you need to focus on?
Summary:
Know that your true thirst is for God. Accept no substitutes.
Remember God’s victories in your life. Be grateful.
Know that the devil is defeated! Put your hope in God. Believe that He will care for you.
Jesus
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