"Help! You're All I've Got"

Psalm 63 was just read for us.

A psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

So David, the chosen king of Israel, chosen by God, is on the run.

He has been king in Jerusalem for many years, but now he is fleeing his capital city,

not knowing if he will ever return or even if he will survive the week.

His adult son, Absalom, has spent the last four years plotting

and quietly winning over the hearts of many of the people of Israel,

and now Absalom has made his move.

He has assembled those loyal to him and declared himself king over the nation.

He plans to kill his father David and establish his own rule.

So David realizes the tide has turned against him very quickly.

So he leaves Jerusalem that same day, not wanting to bring violence and destruction to his beloved city.

And he takes his family and those who are still loyal to him,

and he heads out into the wilderness.

David is in the midst of losing absolutely everything.

And one day he has gone from being king in comfort and peace to seeing everything slip away.

His people, his kingship, his family, his security, and even maybe his own life.

And it is that situation that inspires this psalm, Psalm 63.

David wrote this psalm because of that experience,

and that helps us see how this psalm connects to us today.

If you are facing a situation of serious physical need or lack of resources,

whether it's groceries or housing or transportation or medical care,

or if you're in some situation of danger to yourself or to your family,

if you're in the midst of intense family breakdown and conflict and hurt

that doesn't seem like it's ever going to be repaired,

if you're facing the loss of your position or your career,

facing the loss of your financial stability,

maybe even facing the loss of what it is that you thought God had called you to do in your life,

if you're in a situation where your enemies are multiplying

who want to see you go down in some way,

or just in general, if you're in a situation where you don't feel like you have the resources

or the capacity to handle this, that it's gone way beyond you,

that you've lost everything that you were relying upon to deal with life.

If you're in a situation like that, Psalm 63 is helpful for you and for me

because David models for us confidence in God's unequaled sufficiency.

David models in Psalm 63 confidence in God's unequaled sufficiency,

and so Psalm 63, if we're going to follow David,

is a call for us to cultivate our own confidence in God's unequaled sufficiency.

Now I say we have to cultivate it because our confidence in God is not automatic,

it's not default, it's not a switch that we can flip on and off.

It requires attention, it requires development, it requires growth over time.

When I talk about God being sufficient, I mean that He is more than enough

for all of our needs in every situation.

And I say that His sufficiency is unequaled because no one and nothing else in the world

comes close to what He is for us.

So David models this confidence in God's unequaled sufficiency,

and this Psalm has three stanzas, and so in this Psalm,

David expresses his confidence in God's unequaled sufficiency in three ways.

Three ways that God is sufficient for David, and that He is sufficient for us.

Stanza 1, verses 1 through 4,

David is confident that God is worth it like no one else.

That's the first way that God is sufficient.

God is worth it like no one else.

David is confident of that.

In the midst of the most personally and politically difficult time of his life,

David is taking the time here to reorient himself to his true source of confidence.

Reorient himself to what really matters, to what's most important in his life

when everything else has been stripped away.

And at this point, he could have completely given up his confidence in God.

It is very possible that he felt rejected by God.

After all, he was in danger of losing the throne that was given to him by God,

and as he left Jerusalem, he said to those around him,

I don't know if God is going to bring me back.

And so he could have said, God is of no help to me here.

What good is God?

What is God worth for me now?

And then begun planning and strategizing as if he was all on his own.

But that's not how he responds.

This is what he says in verse 1.

Oh 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.

David is not willing yet to believe that God has abandoned him.

He might feel like that is what happened, but he doesn't accept it yet.

And so he's choosing to focus on God as his most urgent need.

You can hear the desperation in these verses.

He is searching for God, and the word that he used here,

earnestly seeking for God is a restless, desperate,

not going to give up kind of search, back and forth, back and forth.

Got to find him.

Got to find him.

Where is he?

And what's driving this search is his compelling need for God that must be satisfied.

He is thirsting and fainting for God, he says,

like a man in a desert is desperate for water.

When you're in the desert, water is your number one priority.

You're constantly losing water through sweat.

You're facing the heat of the sun on you that's baking your skin.

And as you lose your hydration, your cells begin to contract.

David says he's like that in a desert where there isn't any water.

His soul is beginning to contract for lack of God.

But just like you said, it's like I'm in a desert where there is no water.

It seems like God is nowhere to be found right now for David.

And the intentional poetic irony here is that David is actually physically

in the wilderness right now.

This isn't just a rhetorical, spiritualistic, overdramatic flourish on David's part.

Food and water are real needs for him and for those around him right now.

But it's not food and water that he's most concerned with.

He's most concerned to find the God who seems to have abandoned him

because he believes that God is worth it.

He's worth that kind of search, that kind of desperation,

that kind of prioritization that puts him above even immediate physical needs.

God feels so distant and absent right now,

and it may very well be that this situation is straight from God's hand.

But instead of all that pushing David to put his confidence in something else,

it actually drives him to be even more desperate for God.

So in Psalm 63, he's reorienting himself away from the immediate tactical and survival concerns

and putting his confidence away from military planning and physical strength

and putting it in God.

Even when God doesn't seem to be coming through for him right now,

because he says God is worth it.

But this confidence that David has in God,

this desperation for God is not new for David.

He isn't just turning to God because he's in trouble right now.

This isn't a foxhole conversion.

This is the consistent pattern and practice of David's life.

Verse 2, David says,

So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,

beholding your power and glory.

This is not the first time David has felt this kind of desperation for God.

This is not the first time he has searched for God.

This same hunger and thirst that he has now

is the hunger and thirst that has driven him in the past

in happier and more comfortable times to the sanctuary in Jerusalem,

to see God's power and glory and to praise him.

So David's confidence that God is worth more than any physical provision

has been cultivated throughout his life.

And this psalm, in the midst of so much danger,

is just a natural continuation of what David's life has been like in times of peace.

David has always been seeking God.

And there's something to be said here

for the importance of regularly gathering with God's people

to worship God and hear from him.

It changes you.

It's not just once in a while.

It's not just when you're in trouble.

Cultivating a confidence in God's unequal sufficiency

means every week, whether you feel like you need it or not

or you want it or not,

you are gathering with God's people.

Verse 3.

It's been referenced already this morning.

Probably the best verse in the psalm

and maybe the best verse in the whole book of psalms.

Verses 3 and 4 say,

Because your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise you.

So I will bless you as long as I live.

In your name I will lift up my hands.

In case the first few verses were just a little too poetic,

a little too metaphorical,

in case David hasn't been clear enough yet

about his priorities in this situation,

he says it plainly.

God's love, God's steadfast, covenantal, relational,

unfailing love is worth more to him than his very life.

And when David says this,

he knows that he might not live out the weak.

The danger we have today reading the psalms

is that they can seem just kind of like

spiritualistic poems disconnected from reality,

maybe written by monks who are out in a monastery

somewhere in the mountains

who spend all their time fasting and praying.

But it's the exact opposite.

The psalms were written by people

in the midst of life,

in the midst of challenging situations,

and they are never overdramatic.

They are never overly spiritual.

They are always exactly what people think

and what they mean and what they need

in the midst of the most challenging situations in life.

So when David says,

your steadfast love is better than life,

he means it because he knows his life may be about to end.

In other words,

if the situation with Absalom continues to go sideways,

if he ends up losing his throne,

if everything he's built over the years as king falls apart,

if he spends the rest of his life on the run

and eventually is killed at the command of his own son,

but he knows that God's love is with him,

David thinks he still comes out ahead.

Because God and his love is worth so much more

than any of that.

And he's going to spend whatever life he has left,

whether it's a week or years,

giving praise to God.

Because when you have something that valuable,

you can't help but praise it.

And this right here is what keeps God

from being some sort of genie in a bottle to David

and to us if we follow David's example.

God isn't just someone David calls on when he's in trouble,

when he needs someone to swoop in

and rescue him and defeat his enemies

and then disappear once his wish has been granted.

David says,

everything can go wrong.

You can choose to not give me anything,

not save me at all,

but if I have your love,

I have what matters most.

I will be satisfied.

God is worth it like no one else.

And we praise what we value.

It's that simple.

David says,

I'm going to praise you with joyful lips

and your names are going to raise my hands

because we praise what we value.

We praise what's important to us.

We praise what we think is special.

We praise our favorite restaurant.

We praise our preferred technology devices.

We praise our kids.

We praise athletes and teams.

We praise singers and political figures.

We praise our country and our Bill of Rights.

And David would say to us,

God's love is worth more than all of that.

Try losing all of those things.

Could you still overflow with praise

and consider that you have

what is most valuable in the whole world?

So David is confident that God is worth it

like no one else.

Everything else can go.

God is worth it like no one else.

Stanza two,

David is confident

that God satisfies like no one else.

This is verses five through eight.

So far in this psalm,

God has been distant.

David has been seeking God desperately,

knowing that he's worth it,

but he's still been thirsty.

But David isn't just confident

that God is worth the searching

and the fainting and the praise.

He is also confident

that God actually will show up

at some point and satisfy him.

David is confident

that his search for God

has an end point.

Verse five,

In verse one,

David's soul is fainting and thirsting for God

and here his soul finds abundant provision.

The fat in the rich food here

refers to the best possible food

in quantities that are more than enough.

Fat in rich food means

not a cheap frozen pizza,

but a large Chicago style deep dish pizza

where you try to scoop up a slice

and the cheese just keeps stretching and stretching.

Fat in rich food means not a hot dog,

but a huge juicy steak

that's seared perfectly on the outside

with the right amount of color on the inside.

Fat in rich food is the kind of meal

that's so delicious

and so packed full of good things

that when the server comes around

to offer you dessert,

no matter how much of a sweet tooth you have,

you're just not interested

because the main course

has been so phenomenal

and so filling.

And that's how David expects

that God will satisfy

the hunger and thirst

of his soul.

David doesn't expect

that God is going to give him

just enough scraps to scrape by,

but instead that he's going to be

completely satisfied.

David knows that even if he is

in the wilderness physically,

his soul can have the best

possible feast.

So the question then is

how does this happen?

How does God provide

this fat and rich soul food

and how does David receive it?

Verse 6 tells us,

I'm going to read verses 5 through 7

all together.

David says,

Meditation on God

and what he has done

is the means of soul satisfaction.

David spends his uninterrupted time

at night meditating on God.

He could be spending this time

sleeping or developing

his military strategy

or just plain worrying,

but he considers this quiet,

alone time an opportunity

to feed his soul with who God is

and what he has done for him

in the past.

The word meditation

in our culture

is primarily influenced

by Eastern mystical concepts.

And most commonly,

the direction that those kinds

of traditions give,

generally speaking,

is to clear your mind

as much as possible.

And that is the opposite

of the biblical picture

of meditation.

Biblically speaking,

meditation involves

filling your mind

with some specific truth

of God

and then turning it

over and over

in your head

over a period of time.

The word meditate

itself here

can refer to

muttering something

under your breath

over and over

as you think about it.

Kind of thinking out loud

for a long time.

And we all actually

have a lot of experience

meditating,

believe it or not.

Whether you've done yoga

or not,

you have a lot of experience

meditating.

Here's an example.

You know those times

when someone says

something to you

that's hurtful

and it really bothers you.

And so you spend

the rest of the day

replaying it over

and over in your head.

And you think about

the conversation

led up to that statement

and you think about

their tone of voice

and their body language

as they said it

and you ask yourself,

is there any other way

they could have meant it

than what you originally thought?

And of course,

the best part,

you think of all the things

that you could have said

or should have said

in the moment

that would have been

so perfect

if you had just been

quick enough.

That's meditation.

Chewing on something

over and over

and looking at it

from different angles

and we're all good

at meditating

on something.

Meditating on insults,

meditating on what it is

that we don't have,

meditating on what it is

that we want to inquire,

the next thing we want to buy,

meditating on the movie

that we just saw,

meditating on the news.

But few of us,

including myself,

take time to be good

meditators on God.

But if David is right

in this psalm,

and he is under the inspiration

of the Holy Spirit,

if David is right

in this psalm,

if we ever want

to be truly satisfied

in God,

we have to learn

to meditate on Him.

If we want to experience

God's unequaled sufficiency

in any situation

of life we may be in,

we must meditate.

And so where do we get

this truth of God

to meditate on?

Well, it's from His Word,

of course.

Meditation is the way

the food of who God is

gets from the table

of His words

into our hearts

where it can nourish

and satisfy us.

And if you're like me,

you often expect God

to instantaneously

and effortlessly

deposit His fullness

into your soul

after about three minutes

of Bible reading

or prayer.

And God may choose

to do that once in a while.

But most of the time,

God sets His Word

before us

and He says,

take a bite

and start chewing.

And practically speaking,

I have two recommendations

for how you can

grow in meditation.

First of all,

memorization.

Memorize God's Word.

It's almost impossible

to meditate

on God's Word

if you haven't memorized it

and it's almost impossible

to memorize God's Word

without meditating on it.

So memorize God's Word.

Choose a verse.

Memorize it.

Meditate on it.

And then my suggestion would be

instead of going then

to some other verse

somewhere else in the Bible,

choose the verse

right after that

and memorize that one

and keep going

until you have

a whole chapter

memorized.

So memorization.

Secondly, music.

Music is an excellent

aid to memorization.

So find music

that is either

exactly the words of God

said to music

or music that is

very clearly

grounded in God's Word

and has a lot of that

content in it

and listen to that music

as you're in the car,

as you're

washing dishes.

And that will help you

meditate on who God is

and what He has done.

So,

if you are hungry

and thirsty for God

and you do not feel

that He is satisfying you,

or if you are hungry

and thirsty for something else

and you've been feeding

on something else

and you are afraid

that God actually

will never be enough

to satisfy you

and you're afraid

to even try,

you're always chasing

something else

because you really

don't have confidence

that God satisfies,

let me ask you,

based on this psalm,

whatever situation

you're in,

how is your meditation?

it's not all there is

to the Christian life,

it's not all there is

to being satisfied in God,

but it is essential.

That is how David himself

was satisfied

by God's unequaled

sufficiency.

And I also think

it's important for me

to push a little bit

harder on us

as Christians today,

followers of Jesus today.

Here's why.

David found God

completely satisfying

like no one else

at a time

when he had

a much more

limited revelation

of who God is

than we do today.

He didn't even have

the entire Old Testament,

he's here writing

part of it.

And today we have

something so much greater

than what David had,

we have the revelation

of God the Son.

Hebrews chapter 1 says,

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

long ago at many times

and in many ways

God spoke to our fathers

by the prophets.

That's where David is,

long ago,

many times,

many ways,

God is speaking

through the prophets.

The author of Hebrews says,

but in these last days,

the days that we are

living in right now,

he has spoken to us

by his Son,

whom he appointed

the heir of all things,

through whom also

he created the world.

The Son is the radiance

of the glory of God

and the exact imprint

of his nature.

God has revealed himself

most completely

and most clearly

in his Son, Jesus.

So we have available

to us today

a better picture

of who God is

than David ever did.

We have four whole Gospels

telling us

what Jesus did,

what he was like,

how he talked,

what he said,

how he responded

to people,

what his priorities were.

And then we have

the rest of the New Testament

expounding upon

what all of that means.

And we have the Old Testament

to go back to

with Jesus in mind

to understand more

of who Jesus is

and what he is doing

and what his mission is

and what God has been up to

all along.

In the midst of all that,

we have the Holy Spirit

sent by Jesus

to help us

and give us insight.

So here's the challenge

for us as Christians.

Maybe it sounds crazy.

David was a man

after God's own heart.

A hero of the Old Testament

who wrote part

of Scripture itself.

He is a model for us

in many ways

including in Psalm 63

and yet

any Christian today

has the potential

to know God better

and to find

more satisfaction in God

than David ever did

in his life

here on earth.

That is available

to any Christian today.

So let's be good stewards

of the revelation

of the Son

that we've been given.

If you have a competitive streak,

it's okay

to feel a little competition

with David

and say,

I'm going to find

more satisfaction in God

than you did, David.

David is confident

that God satisfies

like no one else

and as he meditates

on God,

his soul finds satisfaction

and sustenance

in the midst of trouble.

And he restates

this dynamic

in verse 9.

Verse 8,

I'm sorry,

my soul clings to you,

your right hand

upholds me.

David says,

I come with my desperation

and my need

and my thirst.

I cling to you

and you provide

what I need.

You satisfy,

you uphold,

you sustain.

God is sufficient.

David is confident

that God is worth it

like no one else.

Regardless of what

he may lose in this life,

he is confident

that God satisfies

like no one else.

But so far,

David hasn't said

anything about

his present

dangerous situation.

He's made a reference

to being in the wilderness,

but he hasn't said

anything about his enemies,

about the fact

that people are trying

to kill him,

that people are trying

to take his throne.

David doesn't yet

have deliverance

and this is where

he turns in the final

stanza of the psalm,

verses 9 through 11.

And here we see

that David is confident

that God comes through

like no one else.

David says,

but those who seek

to destroy my life

shall go down

into the depths

of the earth.

They shall be given

over to the power

of the sword.

They shall be a portion

for jackals.

But the king

shall rejoice in God.

All who swear by him

shall exult,

for the mouths

of liars

will be stopped.

David has made it

very clear

that God is more

than enough for him

regardless of

what he may lose.

But he also believes

that God is ultimately

a God of justice

and that wrongdoers

won't prevail forever.

He believes

that God will save him

and that God's salvation

will be decisive

and clear.

He believes

that God will uphold

his own glory.

In reference

to his enemies,

the many people

who have joined

in Absalom's rebellion,

all the turncoats

and the sycophants

who have just been

biding their time,

waiting for an opportunity

to take David out

and elevate themselves.

David says three things

are going to happen

to them.

They're going to go down

into the depths

of the earth,

they're going to be

given over to the sword,

and they're going to be

a portion for jackals,

scavengers.

To go down

in the depths

of the earth,

obviously to go down

to the lowest place

possible in the Bible,

not just to die,

but to be swallowed up.

In Psalm 63 here,

to be swallowed up

in God's judgment,

to be given over

to the power

of the sword

means that they will

not die quietly.

Their deaths

will be violent

and bloody.

To be a portion

for jackals

means that they will

not have an honorable

burial or a peaceful

resting place.

To be left

for jackals

was a shameful thing.

In other words,

David is saying

that by God's decree

and power,

all of his enemies

will be damned,

slaughtered,

and dishonored forever.

When God finally acts

on David's behalf,

it's not going to be

half-hearted

or subtle.

It's going to be

decisive and clear.

God's going to come

through like no one else.

These traitors

that are trying

to take David's kingdom,

God is going

to take absolutely

everything from them.

Now David knows

that there are times

when God allows

his people to suffer

in the wilderness.

He's experiencing

that in the moment.

But he also believes

that part of God's

unequaled sufficiency

means that when God

comes through

for his people,

he really comes through.

And notice here

that David is not

taking vengeance

into his own hands.

He's not putting

any timetable on this.

David was a warrior,

but this violent picture

here is inspired by God

and is a description

of God's judgment,

not David's

personal vendetta.

David is confident

that God is going

to come through.

He's not going to have

to try to fight

and scratch for it

himself.

So if that's what

happens to David's enemies,

what will be the result

for David and for others

who trust in God

with him?

Verse 11,

but the king

shall rejoice in God.

All who swear by him

shall exult,

for the mouths of liars

will be stopped.

The king shall rejoice

not in his restored throne

or his return

to a comfortable life

in Jerusalem.

The king shall rejoice

in God.

David sang for joy

and praised God

for his sufficiency

when he was in the desert,

when his life was in danger,

and he's going to do

the same thing

when he gets back home.

He's going to rejoice

in God.

David's confidence

in God's unequaled

sufficiency,

it's not temporary.

His praise for God

is not just on the basis

of his need for God

in the moment.

When everything

is restored to David,

he's going to rejoice

in God,

just like when he was

in the wilderness.

So what about us?

How does God

come through for us

like no one else?

There are certainly times

in the life of everyone

who is a follower of Jesus

when God saves

and restores

and vindicates

in clear and amazing ways.

God does what no one else

can do,

whether that is healing

the body in miraculous ways

or breaking an addiction

that seemed unbreakable

or providing financially

in impossible situations

or moving geopolitical people

and forces

that seemed immovable.

but he doesn't always

save his people

in the short term

in the ways

that we would like him to.

So how can we lean

on verses 9 through 11 today?

Can we put our full weight

on them

that God is going to

come through for us

like this?

Not just sometime,

but for sure.

Can we have confidence

in that?

We can lean

on verses 9 through 11 today

if we remember

that we are in a different

and better situation

than David was.

Verses 9 through 11

are a picture

of God defeating

the enemies

of his anointed king,

establishing his king

as supreme,

and bringing joyful peace

to all those

who are faithful

to that king.

You can probably see

where this is going.

Jesus is the last

and the greatest king

in the line of David.

Jesus is the king

that God promised

would sit on David's throne

forever,

and we,

whose faith is in Jesus,

we are those

who swear

by King Jesus.

And Jesus has enemies

in this universe.

sin and death

and the devil

and all who are

under the devil's control.

We see evidence

of them every day.

Jesus has enemies.

And because we swear

by King Jesus,

all of them hate us too.

And sometimes in this life,

we are in the desert

pursued by our enemies,

especially our brothers

and sisters

in other parts

of the world.

in the desert,

pursued by the enemies

of King Jesus.

But someday,

God is going to come

through for us

like no one else can.

God is going to come

through for us

like money can't,

like the United States

military can't,

like the Bill of Rights

can't.

God's King

is going to return

to the world

that belongs to Him.

He will gather

His people

to Himself

and the Father

of lies

and everyone

who has joined Him

in His lies

will be silenced.

And instead,

every knee will bow

and every tongue

will confess

that Jesus Christ

is Lord,

is King

to the glory

of God the Father.

God is going to

to happen.

Everyone in this room

is going to experience

that in one way

or another.

You can have confidence

in that.

You can stake your life

on that.

Verses 9 through 11

are relevant to you

because that is part

of God's plan.

We saw that

worked out

for months

as we worked through

the book of Revelation.

God's plan

for the fullness of time,

He's going to come through

for us

like no one else can.

And when you have confidence

in that,

when your confidence

is there,

everything else

that pops up

in life

that is scary to you,

is challenging to you,

is a loss to you,

gets put into perspective

a little bit more.

And everything else

that you're tempted

to put your confidence

feels very,

very small

when you see

that,

when you see

the way that God

has promised

to come through

for you.

The psalm

is a call

for us

to cultivate

our confidence

in God's

unequal sufficiency.

God is worth it

like no one else.

God satisfies

like no one else.

God comes through

like no one else.

So today,

whatever trouble

or loss

you're facing,

and every day

that comes

until our King returns,

let's put

our confidence

in God's

unequaled sufficiency

for us

as His people.

And to close,

instead of praying

my own prayer,

I'm going to pray

Psalm 63 aloud

one more time,

and I'm going to make it

plural.

So it's going to be

a prayer from us

as Christ the King

Church

to our sufficient

God.

Let's pray.

O God,

You are

our God.

Earnestly,

we seek

You.

Our souls

thirst

for You.

Our flesh

faints

for You

as in a dry

and weary land

where there is

no water.

So we have

looked upon You

in the sanctuary,

beholding Your power

and Your glory.

Because Your steadfast

love is better

than life,

our lips

will praise You.

So we will bless

You as long

as we live,

and in Your name

we will lift up

our hands.

Our souls

will be satisfied

as with fat

and rich food,

and our mouths

will praise You

with joyful lips

when we remember

You upon our beds

and meditate on You

in the watches

of the night.

For You have been

our help,

and in the shadow

of Your wings

we will sing for joy.

Our souls

cling to You.

Your right hand

upholds us.

For those who

seek to destroy

our lives

and the lives

of our brothers

and sisters

around the world

shall go down

into the depths

of the earth.

They shall be given

over to the power

of the sword.

They shall be a portion

for jackals,

but the King

shall rejoice in God.

All who swear by Him

shall exult.

For the mouths

of liars

will be stopped.

Amen.