The title of Psalm 63 tells us that David wrote this psalm and that he was in the
wilderness of Judah. As you read through this psalm you will notice the progressive experiences David
had as he sought for the Lord’s guidance and help at a difficult time in his
life.
You first find David seeking and desiring God in verses 1-2! He acknowledges his
relationship to God. He proclaims, “O God, You are my God”. To be able to say "my God" by faith
transformed David's wilderness experience into a worship experience. There in
the desert, he was hungry and thirsty, but his deepest desires were spiritual,
not physical. With his whole being, body and soul, he yearned for God's
satisfying presence (v. 5; 42:1-2).
“Early will I seek You”. When
is the time to seek the Lord? David and other Scripture teach us to seek Him
early. This could mean several things. We should seek Him early in a “knocked
down” experience. Don’t run to everyone and everything else, and when nothing
else works finally turn to the Lord. Go to Him first! Seek the Lord early in
life. Solomon instructs us in Ecclesiastes 12:1, “Remember now your Creator
in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw
near when you say, "I have no pleasure in them".
We should seek the Lord early in the day. Jesus set us an example for doing this. “Now
in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and
departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed” (Mark 1:35). Before the
day begins, we should seek the Lord. We should seek the Lord early in the week
by going to worship with His people in church on Sunday. In verse 2, David
tells us that he “looked for the Lord in the sanctuary”.
When David was in Jerusalem you would find him worshiping God at the sanctuary (v.
2; see Psalms 27:4; 84:1-2). He had erected the tent on Mt. Zion and returned
the ark to its rightful place, and he had found great delight in going there
and contemplating God (Psalms 36:8-9; 46:4). Because he didn't belong to the
tribe of Levi, David couldn't enter the sanctuary proper, but from his study of
the Books of Moses, he knew the design and the assigned rituals, and he
understood their deeper meaning. It is our regular worship that prepares us for
the crisis experiences of life.
Just as we have physical senses that are satisfied by God's creation, so we have
spiritual senses (Heb. 5:14) that can be satisfied only by Christ. He is the
bread of life (John 6), and He gives us the water of life by His Spirit (John
4:1-14; 7:37-39; Rev. 22:17). Those who hunger and thirst for spiritual food
and drink shall be filled (Matt. 5:6). David could say with Jesus, "I
have food to eat of which you do not know" (John 4:32).
How did David acquire this wonderful spiritual appetite? What life does to us
depends on what life finds in us, and David had in him a deep love for the Lord
and a desire to please Him. Because David had seen God's power and glory in His
house, he was able to see it in the wilderness as well!
We should also seek the Lord with our whole heart! Jeremiah 29:13 tells us: “And
you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” We should seek the Lord in the same way we would
seek to find hidden treasure. Proverbs 2:1-5 teaches us: “My son, if you
receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, So that you incline your
ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for
discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, If you seek her as
silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand
the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God.”
And finally, remember the promise of Psalm 9:10: “And those who know Your name
will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek
You.” May we have the desire every
day to seek the Lord early in His Word, in prayer, in worship, and in every
situation in life!
God bless!
