Many of the psalms we’ve been looking at this year are considered lament psalms, where the psalmist both expresses his complaints and his praise for God. In Psalm 63, however, we see only praise of God and reflection on our relationship with Him.
“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” (verse 1). If you’ve ever been really thirsty, you may be able to relate to the psalmist’s sentiment here. Fortunately today, we are generally able to get water where and when we need it, so we never get to the level of thirst where our whole being is just longing for water and we cannot find any. But that is exactly how we should long for God - with every piece of our being! The great thing about God is that He is always around and is always accessible to us, no matter where we are or what we’re doing.
“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” (verses 2-3). The psalmist longs for God, but also knows that he is able to find God. He has seen and experienced God’s power and glory in his life. When we have experienced God and know His power and glory, we should desire more of Him. We should seek God’s love even more strongly than we seek preservation of our own lives! We praise God because He is that desirable to us.
“I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands” (verse 4). The psalmist is committing his entire life to praising God. How many of us can say that? Sometimes we have a hard time committing just one hour per week to praising God - which is around 0.6% of our time, just to put that in perspective. Can you imagine committing your whole life to praising God? Even while we’re doing the necessary tasks we have to do in life, we should do them with an attitude of praise to God.
“I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you” (verse 5). I love food; maybe you do too. You know that feeling of being contentedly full after a big meal? That’s the metaphor being used here to describe God, except in the case of God that feeling can last forever. Our bodies will get hungry again and we’ll need to have more meals, but with God we will be constantly satisfied. For that, we give Him our praise!
“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. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me” (verses 6-8). Here, the psalm returns to the idea of longing for God that we saw in the beginning. The psalmist finds protection and comfort in God’s presence, because he knows God will protect him, even through the darkest times of night.
“Those who want to kill me will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth. They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals” (verses 9-10). After the psalmist reflects on God’s protection and presence in his life, he knows that God will take care of his enemies for him. He knows that God will judge His enemies for him.
“But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God will glory in him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced” (verse 11). The realization that God will judge the psalmist’s enemies gives him even more reason to rejoice in God. All those who trust in God will get to share in His glory with Him, while all those who are liars and disobedient to God will not.
Have you spent time just praising God lately? How have you seen God working in your life? What is your response to that? Read over the entire psalm again and see if it stirs any reminders of what God has done for you and how He desires for you to praise Him today.
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2 comments:
As deep as you go into the Word of God, I personally find that your simplest statements hit me the with the most profundity.
This one, for example; "The psalmist longs for God, but also knows that he is able to find God". Amazing. To meditate upon this is lifechanging. For those with ears, let them hear!
Thank you for this, Katie. :)
Thank you so much, Chad! I praise God that He has helped you grow in your faith through my writings!
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