Monday 24 March, 2014

1 Comment/in /by

Psalm 63

1 God, you are my God. I greatly long for you. With all my heart I thirst for you in this dry desert where there isn’t any water. 2 I have seen you in the sacred tent. There I have seen your power and your glory. 3 Your love is better than life. I will bring glory to you with my lips. 4 I will praise you as long as I live. I will lift up my hands when I pray to you. 5 I will be as satisfied as if I had eaten the best food there is. I will sing praise to you with my mouth. 6 As I lie on my bed I remember you. I think of you all night long. 7 Because you have helped me, I sing in the shadow of your wings. 8 I hold on to you. Your powerful right hand takes good care of me. 9 Those who are trying to kill me will be destroyed. They will go down into the grave. 10 They will be killed with swords. They will become food for wild dogs. 11 But the king will be filled with joy because of what God has done. All those who take an oath in God’s name will praise him. But the mouths of liars will be shut.

The Psalm starts with a graphic image. Thirsty in a parched and weary land, the only thing to do is to search earnestly for the water that will satisfy that thirst. If I don’t do that I am in great danger (or so Bear Grylls tells me). My soul thirsts for God in this spiritually dry and weary land, and the right response is to search earnestly for Him. I’m in danger if I forget that, as I sometimes do.

Having seen something of who God is (as all Christians have), the inevitable conclusion is that God’s love is better than life itself (though I sometimes forget). The right response is to praise Him for who he is (and I sometimes forget this too).

What’s the cure for this dangerous forgetfulness? Meditate on Him constantly. Cling to Him. Sing in the shadows of His wings.

God, fill my thoughts. Set me straight when I lose perspective and forget how much I need you, or value my life more than you.

Written by David Cornell

1 (reply)
  1. David Newton says:

    I just read an article on the death of L’Wren Scott. The conclusion was, like many celebrities she was faking her glamorous lifestyle.
    I wonder how many Christians, even in a small way fake their own Christianity. Most notably your behavior is different when people are watching you but at the deepest level the true test is; where do you draw your strength in times of trouble.
    I believe this is the theme of many of the recent Psalms on the Daily Digest.
    .
    David, your insight and summation is impeccable.

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