PSALM 63:1-4

JANUARY 24, 2009

 

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THIRSTY? 

 

1 God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.
2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,  To see Your power and Your glory.
3 Because Your loving kindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.
 4 Thus I will bless You while I live;  I will lift up my hands in Your name.  PSALM 63:1-4  (NKJV)

For the last few years, when we have placed the trash container out for the weekly pick up, we have also put a bottle of water along side the trash cart.  This was just a simple way of saying thanks to these gentlemen who weekly do this job in all kinds of weather. I did not realize, until talking to the driver one hot day, that there was no place on our rural route where he could stop and buy something to drink.  He told me that sometimes he would get so thirsty and now he knows that when he gets to our house, there will be water waiting for him.

As thirsty as our driver was, and as confident as he is that we will have water for him, it does not even begin to compare with the thirst and confidence that David expresses in this Psalm.  In the first verse David says, “My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.”

David describes his situation as like being in a wilderness.  The people knew what a wilderness was as they not only had a wilderness in their area but they also knew the hardships that their ancestors experienced as they went from captivity in Egypt to the Promised Land.

The major difference with David is that his thirst is not for the water that comes from the well in the ground, but for the spiritual water that flows only from God.  It is in this spiritual wilderness that David experiences his extreme longing and thirst.

Each one of  us has experienced wandering in our own spiritual wilderness and have know the agony of longing for the spiritual water that only comes from God.  Unfortunately, there are those who would respond to this with a negative reply.  They are the ones who choose to live their lives the way they want to rather than the way God would have them live. They may well be in church every Sunday; they may be active in the organizations of the church and of the community.  In their daily life, they never question what they do, in fact they respond with hostility if someone suggests that they are not living a Christ pleasing life.  These same people would read this Psalm and say that David was really lost in a wilderness and was physically thirsty. They would base this on the life that David lived and say that he was such a good guy that he did not have to worry about his Spiritual Life.

David did lead a life that was often pleasing to God.  However, the more he served God, the more he prayed, he realized how often he turned away from God and then began to thirst for the LIVING WATER from God. I have done this, and maybe you have also.  It is so easy to walk away from that which God would have us do.  The farther we walk away, the more we should begin to thirst for the soothing, comforting, life giving water from God.  Some people give up and wander farther away.  Don’t give up. God was waiting for David to come to Him to quench his thirst.  God is waiting to do the same for you and me.

Now here is what David said after expressing his  thirst, “ So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.”

Have you looked for God in the sanctuary?  When you  worship, do you feel God’s Presence?  When you pray can you have the feeling that he is listening?  As an example, at mealtime if you use the prayer, “Come, Lord Jesus be our guest” after the AMEN, do you look up and expect to see, or  at least sense that Jesus is sitting there with you?  When you read the Bible, do you ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes, your mind, and your heart to the truths of God’s Word?

Whatever it was that had caused David to feel like he was in that Spiritual Wilderness, instead of driving David farther away, it turned David to this urgent search.  The faith that he had grown in over the years drove him to seek the Power and Glory of God.  He wanted to break that wilderness thirst so he again could give Glory to God by praising Him with his lips, Blessing God by the way he lived, and lifting his hands as he invited, directed and led others to join him in that praise.

Have  you ever felt you were in a Spiritual Wilderness and did not know were to turn for the Living Water to quench your thirst? Have you ever wondered why it is so easy to satisfy your physical thirst but so very hard to even get a small  sip for the spiritual thirst?  If you have wondered, consider this.  From our earliest memories we have learned that water for our thirst comes from a faucet. From our childhood Sunday School memories we were taught the words to that wonderful hymn, “Jesus loves me, This I know, for the Bible tells me so” and we learned the source of the Living Water.  Do you use both sources daily?

WE PRAY:  Heavenly Father, so often we wander as if we are in a wilderness.  So often life seems to have no meaning.  So often we desire to cling to the joys and temptations of the world.  Lord, nourish us with your Spiritual Water that we might break through the curtain of our spiritual wilderness into the Light, the Joys and the Promises of Your Strength and Your Love.  AMEN.

 

A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION

Sometime we might find ourselves in a Spiritual Wilderness without a Bible.  Set a goal of memorizing at least one new Bible Verse a week; one a day would be even better.  You will be amazed at how often these verses will help you in your daily life.