Encouragement

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FOR THE THIRSTY - Psalm 63:1-8

“O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise You.

On my bed I remember You; I think of You through the watches of the night. Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings.

My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me".

This psalm was written when David was wandering in the desert of Judah, probably during the time when he was fleeing from the rebellion of his son Absalom. (2 Samuel 15-18). The desert was a familiar place to David. He had spent many years in the desert when he was on the run from King Saul. He knew what it was to be thirsty and long for water. He knew how relentless the hot desert sun could get – he knew that without constant rehydration and refreshing, he and his men could lose their lives in the cruel heat of the Middle East.

In this psalm, David relates this extreme physical thirst to his thirst for the presence of God. It was a thirsting of the soul. Not only was he in the desert, but far away from the temple and the worship of God, he felt like he was in a spiritual wilderness. He was dry and weary, parched in his spirit, needing most of all to encounter the presence of God and the refreshing it brings. David’s heart was troubled; his own son had betrayed him and was attempting to usurp the throne; he was experiencing much pain of mind and heart. He was king of the nation and having to flee the land like a criminal – it was a lot to bear. His heart was probably full of questions as he looked towards God and wondered why this was happening to him. His life had changed overnight. He felt like he had lost everything. Perhaps he blamed himself and wondered where he had gone wrong. Without peace in his heart, he felt cut off from the presence of God. Not only was he far from his home and the tabernacle of God, he could not even feel that God was near him. He was surrounded by many faithful followers who had left the city with him as he sought refuge in the desert, but without the sense of the nearness of God, he felt lost and alone.

David felt this loss so badly because he knew what it was to enter the presence of God. He knew the voice of God. He knew what it was to enter the sanctuary and experience the glory filling it. He had seen the power of God manifested in his daily life – out on the battle field, in his fight for survival, and when he took over the throne of the nation. He knew what it was to worship God in spirit and in truth, to lift up his hands in complete surrender and offer his life as a sacrifice. He said “O God You are my God”; he had a covenant relationship with His creator, whose omnipotence was no secret to him. He acknowledge that Yahweh is God! He was king; he had the best of every luxury, but He knew that being filled with the presence of God is better than being filled with the best of food. He knew that there was no earthly pleasure that could replace the joy of soaking in the presence of the Father and experiencing His love. He knew that although he was fleeing to save his life, life itself was worth nothing if he could not fellowship with the most beautiful and precious person we could ever know – the Lover of our souls!

We all go through desert times. There are seasons when we feel so close to God, and in the center of His will, blessed and filled with His presence. And there are times when we find ourselves in a place of dryness, far away from where we once were and longing for what we knew – the glory of God, and the manifestation of His power in our lives. There may be distractions on every side, with temptations besetting your soul. It becomes difficult to calm your heart to hear from God, or lift up your hands and worship. You seek Him in the church, you seek Him in the Word, but somehow the connection you knew does not seem to be there, and all the while, the sense of dryness and distance seems to increase. You are wandering in a dry and weary land. Your soul thirsts!

David finally realized that there was a place he could meet with God, but he had to get alone and open his heart. He could not feel God’s presence in the midst of the congregation; he still felt alone when he was surrounded by his faithful followers; there was no sense of joy even when he had the Scriptures read to him. He had to turn to God in the stillness of the night to hear the voice he loved once more. When he lay on his bed and sleep eluded him, he sought the Lord. He meditated on the goodness and mercy of God, and how He had been his help through the years. He remembered how God had brought him through all the trials he had faced, when Saul sought to take his life. Through the night he focused on God and worshipped; he sang “in the shadow of His wings”; he began to feel the sense of God’s presence once more. He realized that through all the difficulties he was having to face, God’s power and might (His right hand) were upholding him and keeping him steady. God’s hand was keeping him alive and well to see another victory and another day! Although he had been overwhelmed with a sense of dryness and isolation, God never left him. It was his own heart connection that had not been at its best.

Friend, if you are experiencing a ‘desert’ time, there is only one way out of it. You need to get away from the clamor and the pace around you and get alone into the quietness. You may have been asking God why He is far from you, but like David, perhaps you need to look into your heart; check out your inner connection; there may be something that has distanced you from the will of God, and made it difficult for you to hear His voice and feel His touch. It could be simply that you allowed fear to shake you and fill you with doubt, when God had already promised you a victory. It could be that you have acted impulsively without obeying divine direction, and lost your peace. However, this could be a time for repentance and restoration into the perfect presence you long for. Seek the Lord earnestly, as David did. Open yourself afresh to the moving of the blessed Holy Spirit. Experience His direction and leading. God wants to refresh you and fill you with new purpose and vision, and with a new sense of His awesome love and presence. The enemy tries to cut you away and isolate you from the Father, with guilt and condemnation, but God longs to draw you back into His arms and fill you with the joy of His presence. We serve the awesome Lord of multiple second chances! The One who loves you so very much that He gave His life for you! In Jesus there is always hope, there is always a new day, there is always room to turn back and see things made new again. Hallelujah!

David ended the psalm with a realization that his enemies would have no victory over him, because God was on his side! The Holy Spirit would have you know today that you are not alone, and as you allow Him to restore you into the perfect, precious presence of the Father, you will not be defeated in the challenges you face. He is with you. He is fighting on your behalf. He will cause you to be more than a conqueror! There is no need to spend another day dry and thirsty, wandering wearily in a distant desert. Come back to where you belong, in the verdant, fruitful land which is blessed by our Abba God, where He is King and Lord. The land He has given to you! May the fullness of the blessed Spirit, and the glorious presence of Jesus our Lord fill you afresh and anew today!

Minoli Haththotuwa
www.wingslikeeagles.info

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