DEVOTION # 1 - PSALM 63

Psalm 63 Is familiar to most of us…a psalm of David during one of his wilderness experiences. This was most likely when his son Absalom rebelled against him and tried to steal his throne.

1 O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.

3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.

4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.

5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.

7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.

8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

9 They who seek my life will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.

10 They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.

11 But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God's name will praise him,
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

In the midst of his desperate situation, David cries, “O God, you are my God,” This is evidence of a covenant relationship with Almighty God and a faith that enables Him to claim God as his own. All of us have a testimony of a time when we entered into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. As one pastor said, “It’s great to be a NT saint.”

His soul thirsts for God. His flesh faints for God. One commentator says this, “By the two words “soul” and “flesh” [David] denotes the whole of his being. He directs all his desires to God. This is such a great picture of Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

His memory of times in corporate worship and “beholding God’s power and glory” in the temple sustain him. But, David’s relationship with God was not based on ritual and ordinance. He experienced the manifestation of God’s glory and power in worship.

David wanted God more than he wanted the joys of life. This is a great reminder that we worship not out of thankfulness for God’s blessings or the gifts He has given us in life. Rather, God alone is the object of our thirsting and fainting. Paul says it this way, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

David’s words are full of hope. He knows that he will be satisfied with a richness and fullness that far surpasses any food or drink in his stomach.

His response is praise through song, communion through prayer and a remembrance of all that God has helped him through in the past. He’s persevering. He says, “My soul clings to you.” He rejoices in God as if victory had already come, displaying glorious hope and confidence in his God.

How much more then should we hope in Christ and his finished work on the cross. It is finished. He’s done it all. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” We have that eternal hope!

Here are a few questions that I have been asking myself:

-Whether I am in a state of blessing or trial, does my heart experience a thirsting, fainting and longing for God?

-Do I worship God as life-giver and gift-giver in all His splendor rather than settling for merely the satisfaction of the blessings He gives? Or, who/what do I love and trust more than Jesus?

-Are my times in corporate worship rich and meaningful or am I just “going through the motions.”

-Do I find my satisfaction and joy in Christ?