PSALM 63
A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.
1
O God, You are my God;
early will I seek You;
my soul thirsts for You,
my flesh faints for You,
in a dry and thirsty land
with no water.
2
I have seen You in the sanctuary,
to see Your power and Your glory.
3
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
my lips will praise You.
4
Thus will I bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
5
My soul will be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
and my mouth will praise You with joyful lips.
6
When I remember You on my bed,
and meditate on You in the night watches,
7
because You have been my help,
therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
8
My soul clings hard to You;
Your right hand upholds me.
9
But those who seek my soul to destroy it
will go into the lower parts of the earth.
10
They will fall by the sword;
they will be a portion for jackals.
11
But the king will rejoice in God;
everyone who swears by Him will glory,
because the mouth of liars will be stopped.
When David was ‘in the wilderness of Judah‘ likely refers to the time he was fleeing from his son Absalom’s rebellion. The first thing we notice in this Psalm is that even in the midst of adversity, lacking food, water & security David expresses his total reliance on God.
When he declares to God ‘you are my God’ he is showing a personal relationship with Him, a relationship that David gives priority over any other of his needs. David is in a dry & thirsty land with no water, he knows well the importance of water to survive in that place, but he isn’t asking for water, his soul is thirsty for God’s presence.
We all go trough difficult times but David is showing us that the solution to any problem is to earnestly seek for God’s presence. Remember God ‘inhabits’ the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3) & we should always enter into His gates with thanksgiving & praise (Psalm 100:4). He is worthy of all praise, it doesn’t matter our temporal circumstances.
At that time (Old Testament) God’s presence could be found in the sanctuary of the tent or temple. Today in the new covenant, God indwells his people, He doesn’t dwell in temples made by hands. We can seek His presence right there where we are.
“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;” (Acts 17:24)
Scripture repeatedly affirms that we individual ‘believers’ are now the “temples of the Holy Spirit” and “the temple of the living God” where God’s Holy Spirit dwells :
“Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” (1 Cor.3:16-17)
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;” (1 Cor. 6:19).
” And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
“I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.” (2 Cor. 6:16)
David’s proclamation that God’s love is better than life itself is a beautiful & powerful statement which emphasizes the supreme value of God’s love. Verse 4 says “I bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name“. We can learn from David and also make the decision to exalt and praise God above all else, not just one day but as long as we live, not matter our present & temporary circumstances. This sentiment that we notice in David, aligns with Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 22:37-38, where He states that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, & mind.
Because there is a relationship, then reflecting on God’s past support & provision (vs.6-8) gives David confidence that God will also help him in his present difficult situation (vs.9-11). Notice that David doesn’t wait to see victory in order to praise God.
Reading this Psalm we can be encouraged to remain steadfast in our faith and take refuge in the Lord, knowing that it is Him that uphold us, strengthens us & comforts us. He is our provider, our defender and our vindicator. Praises be to our Holy & Awesome God! He is worthy!!