Earnestly Seeking

Ps. 63:1-8

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.

What beautiful words! How powerful it was when David acknowledged that God was his God and that he sought Him to the degree that his flesh fainted for Him! His desire for God affected his very physical existence. He has experienced God's glory and power in the sanctuary as well as in his life when he fled from those who sought to destroy him. He knew that God's steadfast love would never disappear. It would always be there to meet his need. Because of all this, David blessed and praised the Lord with joyful lips, not just in the daytime but into the night watches. God was ever present in David's life because He had been his help, and he could rest securely in the shadow of God's wings. There he could sing joyously and cling to the God he loved.

What an example for me! I so want the intimacy that David had with God and to feel as he did. I want my physical existence to rely completely on Him. But I wonder if David's circumstances shaped his deep desire for God. If I were in the desert on the run for my life stripped of all earthly possessions and comforts, would my desire for God be different? Would I see spiritual truths more clearly? I don't know, but in David's case, he constantly sought refuge in the shadow of his God. So to for me, I do love and worship the same God. I know His shadow is welcoming to me and His right hand will uphold me. I must ask myself if I am clinging to Him? Am I seeking Him earnestly? Does my soul thirst as if I am in the desert?

Father,
Give me the faith and grace to draw close to You, to seek You as water for my soul. I confess trying to handle my life and its struggles by myself. Instead help me to seek refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
In His name,
Amen