January 13th
THE PSALMS
O God, You are my God; I seek You diligently. My soul thirsts for You, my flesh faints in longing for You, in a dry and weary land without water.
Theme: Longing for God Himself.
Background: David’s deep love for the Lord while in the wilderness.
Does my “soul thirst for God” Himself or am I satisfied to search for truths about God, his blessings or a spiritual feeling? In other words, do I pursue God’s face (presence) or just his generous hand
(blessings)? Has your relationship with God deepened far more in a wilderness of exhausting trials than in the temple of regular worship routines? Consider how Moses, Hagar, Elijah, and David drew closer to God in the wilderness.
63:6 “I will remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night.” David, both as a shepherd and later in danger as a refugee, pondered at night over God’s loving-kindness shown to him during the day. It would be sad to become so preoccupied with trying to unravel deep prophecy or the intricacies of Biblical languages that we miss out on the joys of meditating on God Himself leading to prayer and praise.
THE PSALMS
Psalm 59-64
Psalm 63
Psalm 63
O God, You are my God; I seek You diligently. My soul thirsts for You, my flesh faints in longing for You, in a dry and weary land without water.
Psalm 63:1, Recovery Version
Theme: Longing for God Himself.
Background: David’s deep love for the Lord while in the wilderness.
63:1 “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.”
Does my “soul thirst for God” Himself or am I satisfied to search for truths about God, his blessings or a spiritual feeling? In other words, do I pursue God’s face (presence) or just his generous hand
(blessings)? Has your relationship with God deepened far more in a wilderness of exhausting trials than in the temple of regular worship routines? Consider how Moses, Hagar, Elijah, and David drew closer to God in the wilderness.
63:3 “Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.”
God’s covenant love is more valuable than life itself. David could not envision life without his God, His presence, and His love for him. “Many men have been weary of their lives, as is evident in Scripture and history; but no man was ever yet found that was weary of the love and favour of God.” - Thomas Brooks. (Php 1:21; Acts 20:24)63:6 “I will remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night.” David, both as a shepherd and later in danger as a refugee, pondered at night over God’s loving-kindness shown to him during the day. It would be sad to become so preoccupied with trying to unravel deep prophecy or the intricacies of Biblical languages that we miss out on the joys of meditating on God Himself leading to prayer and praise.
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The mightiest thought the mind can entertain is the thought of God.
The mightiest thought the mind can entertain is the thought of God.
