Psalm 63
I have read this psalm a few days in a row and I keep coming back to it. Scripture that reminds me of my need for God are simultaneously comforting and convicting. David was a warrior king, a great leader, a powerful man; and yet he writes with such humility and dependence in this psalm.
Our Bodies and Souls are Insufficient
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.
David makes it clear that whether we want to admit the truth or not, every person has a soul that is thirsting for God. Every person was made in the Imago Dei, the “image of God;” created to bring glory to our God and Father. These souls need constant replenishing in a way that the world, our flesh, and other people cannot fulfill.
Look to God for Satisfaction
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Stop for a minute to behold the power and glory of God. He is creator, the giver of life, our Father, all powerful, all knowing, everywhere, and the one who is sovereign over all things and all people. In David’s time, the sanctuary was where you went to be in the presence of God. Today, we have the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit now resides in every person who has been saved by grace through faith in Christ.
Praise God With Your Voice and With Your Hands
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
Sometimes I just don’t want to.
Some days I believe these truths more than other days.
David reminds us that God’s love is unshakeable, and that truth is better than life itself. That means that we are loved now, and that we are loved in eternity. That means that we have safety, care, purpose, hope, certainty. All things that the world cannot provide us.
So, praise God out loud to remind your soul who he is.
Praise God by lifting your hands to remind your body who made it.
Promised Satisfaction
5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
6 when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
Will be satisfied is a fact. And not just any kind of satisfaction, fat and rich satisfaction. This is the kind of full that lasts. Whenever I eat brisket for lunch, I usually do not need to eat dinner. My body is full and satisfied much longer than usual. This is the kind of fullness that God promises us.
The next promise is that once we trust God to satisfy us, we must open our lips and praise him. It’s just what comes natural. And when we experience that kind of joy, we dram about it and think about it at night.
Let God Carry You
7 for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
God is in control of all things. Over the good and the bad in my life, he’s never been out of control. God is my help. God is a mighty eagle, like those great eagles in Lord of the Rings. He has placed me safely under his giant wings, as a father protects his children.
Just as our souls seek the Lord, he also upholds us.
This is my biggest sin problem: pride. Pride prevents me from letting God hold me up (even though he is still doing it when I resist). Pride says I can get by on my smarts, strength, strategy, and get it done American work ethic. The truth is that God has never asked me to go it alone, to figure it out alone, to hold myself up; he constantly reminds me in scripture that the opposite is true.
God promises to carry me. Jesus promises an easy yoke and a light burden. God has me in the palm of his hand, under his wing, in his shadow, in the walls of his kingdom. Be still and rest there.
God Will Make Every Wrong Right
9 But those who seek to destroy my life
shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword;
they shall be a portion for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God;
all who swear by him shall exult,
for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
Jesus death on the cross and resurrection from the dead has victorious defeated sin and death. Jesus will return for his bride. On that day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Evil will be dealt with once and for all. Sin will be no more. Tears will be no more. This is why James tells us in James 5:7 “be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.” God is in control of everything and he will deal with sin done to us and Christ has dealt with the sins that we as believers have committed. Praise the Lord for the gospel.
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