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In Psalm 63:1-3 (NIV) David pours out his heart to God. The scriptures state:
1 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.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
The title of Psalm 63 highlights that David was in the Desert of Judah. Deserts are hot and dry, so it is reasonable to think that David’s thirst would be for mere water. No. David longed for the God he experienced in the sanctuary. The God he beheld in power and glory. In David’s desert experience, David longed for God.
Many believers may never have the experience of being in a physical desert. But the possibility is there to find ourselves in a position where, spiritually, we are in a dry and parched land. Where we are in a spiritual desert. For example, where it seems our faith is being tested over and over again and God is not coming to the rescue. Or maybe, not hearing from God has us feeling disconnected from God. As a result, we have lost the desire to pray, read the Bible, or spend time with God.
God knows the circumstances we face. God knows the burdens we carry. Hebrews 4:13 states: Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable (NLT).
God loves us and wants to fellowship with us. Being in a spiritually dry place robs us of that fellowship. This is why when we are in a spiritually dry place, we have to do as David did. We have to long for God. We have to thirst for God so that we may again know the joy and contentment of God’s love. As David said: Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you (Psalm 63:3, NIV).
In the Desert of Judah, David knew that only God could satisfy the longing of his heart. He knew that only God could satisfy his thirst.
The same is true for us as believers. God is the only one who can satisfy the longing of our heart. God is the only one who could satisfy our thirst.
Psalm 107:9 states: For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things (NLT).
Except where indicated, scripture references are from the American Standard Version (ASV), Darby Translation (DARBY), or King James Version (KJV) – all public domain.
