Psalm 63
My Soul Thirsts for You
A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
63 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.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
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.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;
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.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.
: promise-keeping, loyal love motivated by deep care
God’s love is
.
O God, you are my God; —Psalm 63:1a
: more binding than a friendship but more relational than a contract
6 “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. —Deuteronomy 7:6-8
God’s love is
.
1 …my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you. —Psalm 63:1, 3
“Our love flourishes out of the good rich soil of God’s love for us.” —Justin Stringer (probably Tim Keller)
If you don’t find God’s love compelling, then what
loves do you find compelling?
God’s love leads to
.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, —Psalm 63:4-5
Biblical contentment is NOT being in denial about our current circumstance or masking our emotions, but taking them to God for
.
34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! —Luke 13:34