January 4, 2023
Author: Pastor Mark Bauer
January 04, 2023
“Oh 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 you're 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.”
Psalm 63:1-4
As I was reading this psalm and meditating upon it, I think we all
see that the psalm begins with using the example of thirst. Thirst is
something that I think everyone can relate to, is it not? We all know
what it means to be thirsty. Perhaps we've been out on a hot day, maybe
working or hiking, or maybe playing some type of sport, and as we're
exerting effort and physical energy, our body starts to feel the effects
of the heat and the physical exertion. At times you will notice your
mouth starts to get dry, and your throat becomes dry, and you realize
that you're thirsty. As time begins to pass, and if you're deprived of
water, your thirst begins to increase in its intensity. Perhaps you
begin to sense that your body is even becoming weary, even faint. And
then suddenly all your focus is that all you want is to get relief,
relief that can only be satisfied by a cold drink of water.
That
water becomes your focus, it's your priority, you want to find water.
And as you search for water, if you can't find it, then your desire for
that water seems to even increase more and more. And so you begin to
look even more with greater and greater intensity, seeking to find
water.
Well this to me seems to be the picture that we have here
of David. What David speaks of in this psalm, though, is not a physical
thirsting for water, but what he's experiencing. David is speaking of
his soul that is thirsting for God. He writes, “My soul, thirsts for
you.” David is experiencing an intense desire and longing to be with
God. As the title states, the psalm of David was written when he was in
the wilderness. At that time he was not able to enter into the presence
of the Lord.
You might remember in David's day, David would have
to go into the sanctuary of God to experience that special presence of
God, to be able to behold the power and the glory of God.
But
when he was in the wilderness, David was deprived of that special
presence of God. And like the physical thirst of a person who is
deprived of water, increases and becomes more intense as time passes. It
seems that David's desire and soul thirst for God increases and he's
earnestly seeking after God. God is David's focus. God is David's
priority.
Well then, as I read this and as I was meditating on
this, I asked myself, “Do I have that same intense desire to be with
God? Is God my priority? Are my desires focused upon God or do I allow
myself to become more and more focused on other things? Am I seeking
after physical comforts or ease, or whatever it might be?”
As I
was thinking about that, I reminded myself that, if I don't have that
same desire, that same thirst that David had, that same thirst to be
with God, what I need to do is I need to pray. I need to pray to God
that he would grant to me an increase in my desire and longing to be
with him. If that is our struggle, we can be thankful that we can pray
to God, and he will hear us, and he will answer our prayers, and he will
increase in us and stir up in us that desire.
But then also as I
was thinking about this, at times I do have that desire, right? I have
that intense soul thirst for God and how thankful I am, and how thankful
we can all be that we can know that that thirst for God can be quenched
when we gather together as a church. Each Sunday we have the great
privilege to be in the presence of God and to have that desire of being
with the Lord, satisfied. Or on Wednesday night, even tonight, as we
gather together to pray, we can have that sense, that privilege of being
in the presence of God to behold his power and his glory.
As I
would continue to reflect upon this, I have to confess I think at times I
might become complacent. Because you know, it's not that difficult for
me to be able to drive to church or to zoom in on a prayer meeting. But I
should never lose sight of what an incredible privilege I have and we
all have as God's people, to be able to enter into his presence. As I
understand that privilege and as I appreciate it, I should lift up my
voice in praise and thanksgiving to God.
So tonight many of us
have spent a day in the world, have we not? I think some of us may feel
as though we've been traveling through a dark wilderness devoid of
anything spiritually refreshing or encouraging. We might sense an
intense weariness even.
But as we come tonight, may we come
thirsting for God. May we have a longing to return to the sanctuary, to
be in the presence of God. And as we come, we know that God will
remember his promises where two or three are gathered, and his presence
is with us even now. And as we realize that truth, may God even quench
that thirst of our souls, that desire to be in the presence of God.
May
God stir up in us this night an earnest desire to come to him in
prayer, and to praise him for who he is. As we pray, may God even hear
our prayers, and send blessings of comfort and encouragement to each of
us this night.
BACK