The Earnest Seeker (Psalm 63)
12:30 PM
Humans are always seeking.
We seek many things: comfort, nurture, knowledge, entertainment, adventure,
possessions, recognition, security, power, and romance to name a few. But, no
matter how many of the things we seek are found, our hearts will always be seeking
the only thing that can truly satisfy our deepest longing. If we are fortunate,
we will realize that ultimately we seek to know and be known by the One who
created us and breathed His living breath into us. How blessed we are if we
know a time when we earnestly seek God.
David was a man who ruled
his people as King. He knew fame, fortune, recognition, and power. But, He also
knew that the source of his strength and sustenance was not in earthly gain or
status. He knew those things could change like the shifting sand. In fact, when
he created this Psalm he was back in the wilderness. This was a place he knew
well. He had lived in hiding and wastelands when Saul sought his life and now
he was back in the wilderness because of the rebellion of his son Absolom. But,
here, in this seemingly barren place, David was not alone.
“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.”(v1)
Notice that David says “you
are my God”. This is something that every Christian can claim. God is always
with us, never leaving us alone and He wants to be intimately connected to us.
Even in the wastelands of our most dire circumstances, His resources are always
there for us.
How did David come to seek
and appreciate what God offered?
“So I have looked upon you
in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.”(v 2)
David knew the value of
God’s holiness. He didn’t have himself on the throne of his heart. He knew that
only God belonged there.
“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,” (v 3-5)
David valued God’s
unconditional love and he knew how to offer praise. Through worship of God, he
kept his focus from the world and self to a bigger, more eternal view.
“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.” (v6-7) David
reflected upon and valued all the times that God had been faithful to help him
in the past. Because of that, he trusted God’s provision for his future.
David, a great king of his
day, was a bold and earnest seeker of God. I imagine that if he could pass on
to future generations the most powerful words of advice he could offer, he
would encourage others to seek God. Through all the ups and downs, the joys and
the sorrows, David had learned to seek God and David had found Him. For that,
He was grateful! “My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds
me.” (v 8)
God is worth seeking. If
we earnestly seek Him, He promises we will find Him. No matter how barren or
lonely our circumstantial wilderness may be, He promises to always be with us,
sustaining and providing our deepest need.
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