“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.” - Psalm 63:1b
Sometimes we feel separated
from God, like a child who loses a parent to death or gets lost from them in a
retail store. They feel frightened and angry, and so do we. This sense of
separation from God may come as a result of a loss or crisis in our life, which
leaves us feeling forgotten or uncared for by God. We may feel alienated from
God during a time of personal sin or failure; and we struggle with fear that
God may condemn or reject us. Or we may feel segregated from Him if we move
from our church to a new community, and the people and worship style are
different from what we are used to experiencing.
Most people turn to
relationships to fill their need for love, acceptance and security. We also use
material possessions, financial gains and accomplishments at work to feel
powerful and successful. We put too much emphasis on these superfluous aspects
of life, trying to extract happiness, fulfillment, peace and security from
them. These temporal achievements are a hollow victory that soon crumbles at
our feet. This contaminated water cannot quench our thirst and this junk food
will never gratify our hunger.
These weak substitutes only
cause mental and emotional illness and they never fully satisfy our needs. We
have no one other than the Lord in heaven or earth that will bring health to
our flesh and strength to our bones (Proverbs 3:8). He is the only true and
living being who will perfectly nurture to our soul – our mind, will and
emotions (Psalm 42:5,11). Only the Lord strengthens our heart and is our fulfilling
portion forever (Psalm 73: 25-26). His words are sweeter than honey and the
honeycomb (Psalm 19:10). He satisfies our longing and He fills our empty soul
(Psalm 107:9).
It is only as we free our
soul from dependence on these carnal surrogates, that we are liberated to find
fulfillment in the one place most people look to as a last resort. The only truly
rewarding association a human being is capable of having is with the Creator of
our soul. Only God knows what our deepest needs are and how to satisfy them completely.
The reason so many people never develop a relationship with God, however, is
because we can only find Him if we search for Him with our whole heart
(Jeremiah 29:13).
When we surrender our life
to God, He bestows upon us His unconditional love (Jeremiah 29:11). God is patient with us and kind. He does not envy, nor boast and
is not proud. He does not dishonor us, and is
not self-seeking. He is not easily angered, and He keeps no record of wrongs.
God does not delight in evil, but He rejoices with
the truth. He always protects, always trusts,
always hopes and always perseveres (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). When we come
to Him, He works His loving character and the fruit of His Spirit into our soul
(Galatians 5:22-23).
In the words of Psalm 63, the psalmist helps us to verbalize our longing for God and our relationship with Him. He is our one, true God and we earnestly seek Him, thirst for Him and long for Him with our whole being. Without His presence in our life, we feel like a traveler in a dry, parched land without any water (vs1). God offers us a safe sanctuary and exhibits His power and glory to protect and provide for us (vs2). God’s love for us is better than life. His love causes us to break out in spontaneous praise and to lift our hands in adoration because of all He does for us (vs3-4). We praise Him for His provision of our daily needs (vs5).
Even in our bed at night we remember what He does for us and we keep Him company during the night watches (vs6). He is our help and He hides us under the shadow of His wings and encourages us with His blessings (vs7). We cling to Him throughout life and He makes us strong in times of adversity (vs8). He takes vengeance on our enemies and vanquishes them from before us (vs9-10). We rejoice in Him and glory in Him. Those who oppose God and come against us for our beliefs will be silenced (vs11).
Prayer:
Lord God, my soul yearns for
You in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for You (Isaiah 26:9a). Who
among us fears You anymore and who obeys Your word? Let him who walks in the
dark, who has no light, trust in Your name, O Lord, and rely on You, my God (Isaiah
50:10). Teach us to seek You, LORD, while we may find You, and to call on You while
You are near (Isaiah 55:6).
Thought for the Day:
“The time is surely
coming," says the Sovereign Lord, "when I will send a famine on the
land--not a famine of bread or water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.” -
Amos 8:11