READING: Psalms 35, 54, 63, 18
“God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you.I thirst for you.”
Psalm 63:1-3
I’m quite certain I could not express my love for the Lord like David did. He wrote, of course, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but the personal nature of his loving expression toward God is deeply intimate and personal: “God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you.I thirst for you;my body faints for youin a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.So I gaze on you in the sanctuaryto see your strength and your glory.My lips will glorify youbecause your faithful love is better than life” (Psa. 63:1-3). Likely written while David was hiding in the wilderness of Judea, these words challenge my heart at so many levels:
- Can I say with integrity that I “eagerly” seek God every day?
- Do I “thirst” for Him in such a way that I’m like a parched man who faints under the thirst?
- Do I crave being with God and His people in the sanctuary?
More specifically, do I genuinely believe that God’s love is better than life itself? Can I say that I would rather not live if I did not have the lovingkindness of God in my life? And, if I do land my heart where the psalmist landed, why do I not glorify Him with my lips more?
Here’s my response to this word today: I am asking God to give me such a longing for Him that nothing else matters. I want to be so thirsty for Him that nothing else quenches my thirst. I want to lift my hands and my voice in such praise to Him that my neighbors and the nations take note.
Would you join me in that prayer?
ACTION STEPS:
- Decide if you want to pray the same way with me. If you do, begin with this devotion and prayer.
- Ask God to show you any idols for which you long at times. Confess those idols as they come to mind.
PRAYER: “God, make me long for You more than anything else.”
TOMORROW’S READING: 1 Samuel 28-31, 1 Chronicles 10
