Psalm of David: 63:1 Meditation

You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
 
Am I earnestly seeking God? Am I intensely and seriousy pursuing Him above anyone or anything else in my life? Is He the water for my parched soul?

The note in the Bible under the Psalm 63 heading says, “A Psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.” Although there is some debate which time of David’s life this Psalm was written, either way David was being pursued, fleeing for his life. I love the fact that he is trusting God in the midst of such hardship. He looks to God for relief from his anguish and for provision to continue day by day. We may not be in an actual desert like David was, but I’m sure we all know what it’s like to be in the midst of hardship and difficulty. What can we learn from King David in this single verse of the Bible?

David Continues to Trust God.
David starts by acknowleding the one his entire life revolves around—God. He states that God is his God. David is choosing to trust God instead of turning his back on God when hard times come. That alone could be my whole take away from this verse. God is so good to me. He has only the best in mind for my life. When the hard times come, I don’t want to lose my faith in who God is. Nothing about God has changed. It is so easy for me to become that child that expects life will always go her way. When it doesn’t she will have a tantrum and blame everyone around her. Life is full of difficulty and until heaven, it seems that is not going to change. I want to choose to come to God in faith, for His help and strength every day, whether the times are wonderfully good or horribly bad.

David Is Earnestly Seeking God. 
All of David’s focus is on God. He has no backup plan. It’s God or no one. There is no lightheartedness here, only intensity. I want to be this single-minded in seeking God. How much time and energy do I waste trying to carry my backup plans along with me? It reminds me of Philippians 3:13-14 which says, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Time after time I have gone to those old idols of mine for comfort but they never really help. It’s time to forget them. Why do I continue to drag them along when they only drain my energy and slow me down? I want to cut the ropes and not look back. I want to earnestly pursue God first and foremost.

David Is Transparent with God.
David pours out his heart to God about his need. He is desperately thirsty. His body feels like it is not going to make it. Psalm 62:8 says, “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” God already knows all we are thinking and feeling, so we don’t need to inform Him of anything. We do need to choose to be transparent and honest with our needs, desires, and hopes. Can I admit what I am really thinking and feeling to God? Some of it can be ugly. I won’t feel like I’m a “good Christian.” All hopes of impressing God are out the window. That’s a good thing for us because we can’t impress God or earn His love. He chose to love each of us. He chose to send Jesus to the world to save us from our sin. He took care of what stands in the way of us having a relationship with Him. It’s a relief to now be able to interact with Him honestly, knowing He will help us get our needs, desires, and hopes all adjusted as they should be. God expects us to be real with Him.

David Admits How Dire His Circumstances Are. 
There is no water, no food. David is probably exhausted. Things are bad. He is desperate. He’s not trying to find the bright side or put on a happy face. How refreshing it is to me that I can just say to God, Without you, I am not going to be able to make it. In our society, there is so much emphasis on our inner strength and all we can do. To admit we need help is seen as weakness. There are many great Bible verses encouraging us not to faint in times of difficutly. There is one that has a different take on fainting though, that stands out to me. Isaiah 57:10 says, “You wearied yourself by such going about, but you would not say, ‘It is hopeless.’ You found renewal of your strength and so you did not faint.” In Isaiah 57, we read about Israel’s continuing refusal to come to God and God alone to meet their needs. They choose to be unfaithful to God and even when they find their idols don’t satisfy them, they still won’t repent and come to God. Here is a place where they really did need to faint, but would not. When times are difficult, we can faint into God’s arms and look to Him for all we need. I get really tired of trying to make life work and being super positive about everything. With God, I can be honest and say, I can’t do this without you. If you don’t help me Lord, it just isn’t going to happen. I need you.
 
Prayer: Lord, I want to come to you first in faith when difficulties arise. Help me seek you wholeheartedly and refuse to rely on anyone or anything else more than you, including myself. Draw me closer to you, I pray.