A Verse
Psalm 63:1
You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
A Comment
I can only remember a few times in my life when I felt like I was dying of thirst. It was when I was younger and ended up severely dehydrated after a stomach virus. I was hospitalized for a day due to the severity of my dehydration. I can still remember how good the ice chips tasted when the ER staff finally brought me a cup. Until they knew what was wrong with me, they would not give me any water or even ice chips to eat. But once they did, it was best thing I ever tasted.
When David wrote Psalm 63, we are told that “he was in the Desert of Judah.” For many of us, we do not really know what it is like to be in a desert. But as one OT scholar puts it, “While a desert landscape can lure the newcomer into a romantic trance, we soon discover that this environment is fierce and inhospitable.” Prone to severe heat and severe cold, the desert can be an excruciating place to dwell. It does not take one long to imagine how thirsty they could get if they spent significant time in such a wilderness.
Yet here is David, in the desert, and he is thirsting for God. As he stated, “my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where this is no water.” It is likely that David’s experience in the desert of Judah is influencing his imagery for his desire for God. While David doubtlessly had a physical thirst for water, when he composed this psalm, the thirst in his body reminded him of an even greater thirst, the thirst of his soul for God.
As we reflect on this psalm, my prayer is that regardless of where we find ourselves in life, which could be a desert for many of us, the LORD is faithful to satisfy us with the living Water of his grace and mercy in Jesus Christ. We will be satisfied by God and God alone. He is the only One who can satisfy the thirsty soul.
May we thirst for His satisfaction together today.
A Prayer
Would you pray with me?
A Blessing
Now may the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. the Lord be with all of you.
Thirsting for God