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A PSALM OF DAVID, WHEN HE WAS IN THE WILDERNESS OF JUDAH.
"O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water."
Psalm 63:1
Read 63:1-8
The Set Up
We included the introduction to this Psalm because it sets the stage for our understanding of it's depth. The introduction lets us know that David was not sitting in some Royal Palace being served with whatever he needed. He was being pursued by Saul. He was a man on the run. A refugee, a man who was going through some pretty tough times in a dry, bleak, and desolate wilderness. So, when he penned these words, he knew of what it was like to truly be thirsty and hungry. He then translated these physical feelings to a heart felt plea for his soul to be quenched from thirst by God alone.
As hockey players and hockey people, we probably don't spend too much time in desert like settings. Most of us don't spend our time in dry, desolate places where water is scarce. But, we all know in our hearts what this verse is talking about because we all have been in a place where we have experienced a wilderness of heart and soul. A time that sucks the life out of you. A time where you feel alone, forgotten, and spiritually hungry.- Perhaps you are the odd man out at the rink, always getting picked on. The locker room becomes your wilderness.
- Perhaps you are getting pressure from your coach or boss and your performance is slipping. Work becomes your wilderness.
- Perhaps you are in the midst of trouble and turmoil away from the rink. Your home becomes your wilderness.
Whatever you may be going through, or have gone through. We can all relate to the inner struggle David is expressing in Psalm 63.
The Answer
David was a pretty sharp guy. In the midst of is trouble and thirst, he clung to the only answer that would get him through each day out in the Wilderness. He made it quite clear that the answer to our thirsty lives, our troubled lives is God and God alone. His answer in times of trouble is to:- earnestly seek God (v. 1)
- thirst for god (v. 1)
- look upon God's sanctuary (v. 2)
- praise God (v. 3) (v. 5)
- lift up his hands to God (v. 4)
- remember God (v. 6)
- meditate on God (v. 6)
- sing to God for joy (v. 7)
- cling to God (v. 8)
The Question
To close, it would be good to think about a very important question:
- What is it that your soul thirsts after above and beyond all else?
- What do you long for when you find yourself in the "wilderness"?
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