My Soul Thirsts for You

If you have your Bible with you, you can open it up to Psalm chapter 63.

Psalms 63 · chapter mention

Psalm chapter 63.

Psalms 63 · chapter mention

And if you don't have one with you, you can get one right in the seat in front of you.

They're the black covered book.

This psalm has long been precious to me.

In fact, it's one of the first sermons I ever preached was on this psalm over 10 years ago

in my home church where I grew up in my early 20s.

And it's a psalm that speaks of the kind of passionate, intimate, close relationship that we can have with God.

So I'm going to read the psalm for us this morning.

Psalm 63.

A psalm of David.

When he was in the desert of Judah.

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.

I have seen you in the sanctuary.

And beheld your power and your glory.

Because your love is better than life.

My lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live.

And in your name I will lift up my hands.

I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods.

With singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you.

I think of you through the watches of the night.

Because you are my help I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I cling to you.

Your right hand upholds me.

Those who want to kill me will be destroyed.

They will go down to the depths of the earth.

They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals.

But the king will rejoice in God.

All who swear by God will glory in him.

While the mouths of liars will be silenced.

So this is a psalm of David.

King David.

Man who lived about a thousand years before Jesus came.

And we don't know if this was a song or just a prayer.

But it's very poetic in the way that it's phrased.

And David tells us something of the occasion that he was in.

The situation he was in when this was written.

It says when he was in the desert of Judah.

Now it's difficult to pin down exactly when in David's life this took place.

Because David had a couple times when he was in the desert of Judah.

The first was early on in his life when he was being basically chased and hunted by the king of those days.

Which was King Saul.

And he was running for his life.

And then the second time was much later in his life.

He'd already been king for quite a long time.

And then his son Absalom kind of rose up against him and chased him off the throne.

And so he found himself fleeing again and in the wilderness running for his life.

And there's a few verses in this psalm that kind of fit either one of those quite well.

But at the end of the day we don't know for sure exactly when in his life he wrote this.

Usually with these psalms on Sundays in the summer here I've been kind of dividing up the psalm to help us see the structure of it.

And looking at it and working through it piece by piece.

But I found it difficult to do that with this psalm.

It's only 11 verses and I seem to find six different parts.

So rather than dividing it up that way.

We're going to look instead at three of the themes that are woven throughout the psalm.

And we'll start by looking at first David's circumstances.

So let's start by looking at these first verses here.

We know from the superscription that David is in the desert.

And what's it like there?

In David's first words in verse 1 he mentions thirst.

He says,

So there's the idea of weariness or exhaustion.

Perhaps from hunger or thirst or just the heat.

He says that he's in a dry and parched land.

Where there is no water.

So David's surroundings and situation are quite unpleasant at the moment.

He's thirsty.

He's weary.

He's out in the elements.

And there's nothing to give relief.

Verse 2.

He says,

I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.

He has seen God's presence and power and glory with his own eyes.

But that's not what's happening right now.

Notice that this is in the past tense.

I have seen you in the sanctuary.

I have beheld your power and your glory.

Back then and there God.

But right now here in the desert it's implied.

I don't see you.

Verse 5.

David says,

I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods.

Notice the future tense.

I will be satisfied as with the richest of foods.

But here in the present it's sort of implied that here in the desert the richest foods are not what's on the menu.

And neither is the satisfaction that goes with it.

In verse 7, David is keenly aware of his need for God's help.

In verse 8, he's aware of his need to be sustained and upheld.

And so he's clinging to God.

In verse 9, he tells us that there's people who want to kill him.

They're out to see him dead.

And finally in verse 11, he speaks of the mouths of liars.

There's people spreading lies about him, slander.

So these are David's circumstances described in poetry throughout the psalm.

He's out in the desert.

He's thirsty.

He's hungry.

He's weary.

He's not seeing God visibly as he has in the past.

He can't just go to the tabernacle, the sanctuary, because he's out here in the desert.

He's deeply aware of his need for God's help and sustaining.

And there are these men who are spreading lies about him and seeking to kill him.

But what's always amazed me and touched me when I read this psalm again

is how David desires so much more than just the alleviation of his suffering.

I kept thinking, you know, if I found myself in a situation like this

and I was to write a psalm, it would probably go something like this.

You, God, are my God.

Earnestly, I want to get out of this mess right now.

I'm thirsty for water to drink.

My body faints with exhaustion from the heat.

There's no water here.

Verse 5, I want to get back to eating the richest of foods.

Please get me out of this desert right now and deal with my enemies swiftly.

Amen.

That's more like how we sometimes pray, isn't it?

God, please get me out of this situation ASAP.

And so I'm always surprised again and again when I read what David desires most here.

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.

There's one thing David wants much more than water, food, an easy, comfortable life.

More than all that, David desires God himself.

It's like he's saying, that thirst that I feel in my mouth, that's just a picture.

That's just a parable of how I need you, God.

Like water would satisfy my thirsty tongue and refresh me and replenish me.

That's what you, God, are to my soul.

You are the one that refreshes and replenishes my soul.

That deals with that deep thirst and dryness that's in here.

So even though we see that David's situation is somewhat desperate and grim,

that's not what David's worried about.

It's like he's looking at all this desperation of his circumstances mainly as a metaphor.

It's a picture.

It's a parable of how he truly feels in his heart towards God.

He's desperate for God.

And if you look down the page in your Bibles, you'll see these first eight verses are all about God.

They're all about David's relationship with God.

I just find this so wonderful, so amazing.

I mean, we just heard about how bleak David's circumstances are.

And yet, glance through this whole psalm.

Does David ask God for anything?

Is there any specific request that David has for something from God here?

There's nothing.

He doesn't ask God for a single thing in this prayer.

It's quite a contrast, maybe, to our usual prayers,

where most of our prayers are requests.

It's things we want from God.

So if he's not asking for things, what is David saying?

What is he doing in this prayer?

Well, in verse 1, we see already that he's expressing his longing for God.

Then in verse 2, he reminisces about God, about a special moment that he had with God.

He says, I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.

So he's thinking back to a previous encounter with God,

probably reflecting on a time when he was in the sanctuary at the tabernacle,

perhaps worshiping or praying.

And it seems that, from what David says,

that God had revealed himself very visibly to David in that moment.

And David says, I remember seeing your power and your glory.

This is precious to David.

Back then, the tabernacle, the sanctuary,

that was a big part of relationship with God.

I mean, you came to the tabernacle, the house of the Lord.

You worshipped.

You brought your sacrifice.

You did your praying and your singing there.

But now David is cut off from that.

He can't just go there like he's used to.

He's fleeing for his life in the desert.

So David does this sort of relational reminiscing out loud in his prayer.

I remember back to that time when I saw you in the sanctuary.

I beheld your power and your glory.

And he continues on with this.

He says in verse 3,

Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

So he's thinking back on his relationship with God,

how things have gone in his life.

And he makes this most wonderful of statements.

Because your love is better than life.

And that's just the first part.

He's going to say a bunch more here.

But let's just stop and think for a moment

about that statement right there.

Because your love is better than life.

Your love, God, is better than life itself.

What a statement.

And I don't think David's despairing of his life right now.

I don't think he's saying,

Well, my life stinks,

and so it's easy for your love to be better than my life right now.

I think David valued his life.

Sure, it had its troubles and challenges,

the same as all of us do.

But there's a richness and a beauty to life.

Life is a treasure.

It's a gift from God.

And we all know that.

Even if at times we lose sight of it or forget it,

life is a treasure.

But David says there's something even greater,

even better.

Your love, God,

is better

than life.

That phrase alone is worth meditating on.

Do you value your life?

How much do you value your life?

If I think to our world,

our world holds life at the very top

as the most valuable thing that we have.

And yet David says,

My relationship with you, God,

is better.

It's more precious to me.

More valuable to me.

It's the greater treasure.

Knowing your love for me.

Experiencing your loving kindness.

It's been the ultimate,

the best thing of all.

I wonder if you can honestly say amen

to that

in your relationship with God.

Have you known a love from God

that's more precious to you

than life itself?

You can.

And amazingly,

this reality,

David's deep enjoyment of God's love

becomes the foundation of five will statements

which follow.

We're going to just look at three of them.

He says,

Because your love is better than life,

and then these five will statements.

So let's look at a few of them here.

Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

So,

I'm going to worship you with my mouth,

says David.

I'm going to declare just how glorious you are.

There's a bit of a principle here.

Knowing God's amazing love

here

in your heart,

that's what leads

to worship.

That's what leads

to that authentic,

joyful worship.

The second one,

because your love is better than life,

I will praise you

as long as I live.

So God's love is so deep,

so awesome,

so wonderful,

that David says,

I'm going to worship you

till the day I die.

As long as I live.

Have you ever had someone tell you

about a new product

or a new movie?

And they really,

really liked it.

They really thought it was great.

And so they're trying to sell it to you.

They're trying to help you appreciate it.

And you get your expectations

really high

and then you go out

and you get that product

or you go see that movie

and you're disappointed.

They got your expectations

a little too high.

They oversold it.

They praised it a little too highly.

They talked a little too much

good about it.

That might happen

with products and movies

but with God,

David realizes,

he sees,

he knows in his heart of hearts

that he could declare

God's praises

for the rest of his life

and never oversell him.

Never praise him too highly.

Never say enough good about him.

He's that worthy.

He's that good.

He's that glorious.

A lifetime of praise

wouldn't do him justice.

And so knowing God's amazing love

in here

doesn't just lead to worship.

It leads to a whole life

of worship.

A life spent

worshiping God.

One more of these will statements.

Because your love

is better than life,

I will be fully satisfied

as with the richest of foods.

Says David.

Now there's some translation variants there.

More literally,

more accurately,

my soul will be fully satisfied

as with the richest of foods.

This is one of my favorite parts

of this psalm.

Let me ask you something.

What's the best food

that you've ever tasted

in your entire life?

Think back to that moment.

Maybe there's one or two

or three things that just,

man, wow,

wow,

that was so good.

And the whole time

that you were eating it,

it's just like

every single bite

was surprise.

Again,

how can it be

that good?

What kind of sauce

is this?

What kind of seasoning?

How did they get

these flavors

all just right

and it's cooked

to perfection?

It's,

and just when you think

you've wrapped

your mind around it,

you take another bite

and your taste buds

go wild

all over again.

Wow!

Have you ever had

a dish or a food

like that?

There's a conversation

starter for you

after the service.

You can,

you can ask each other

about it

after the service.

King David,

no doubt,

had some

wonderfully rich foods.

He ate at the king's table

before he became king

and then once he was king,

I mean,

he was king.

He would have eaten

all kinds of

rich,

tasty foods.

And so he knew

just how deeply satisfying

a meal can be.

And yet his point here

is not about food at all.

It says,

because your love

is better than life,

my soul

will be fully satisfied

as

my tongue

is with the richest

of foods.

It's a simile.

It's poetic.

What is he saying?

He's saying,

just as my mouth

has been so deeply

satisfied with the

richest of foods

in the past,

in the same way,

my soul

will be satisfied

with you,

my God.

Because

your love

is better

than life.

Can your imagination

do this?

Go back to that

tastiest meal

you ever had.

If you can,

taste it again.

Remember what it did

to your tongue

in your mouth.

God's love

can do that

to your soul.

Where every new

taste of his love

surprises you

all over again.

Every new glimpse

of it,

it leaves you

saying,

wow,

that's amazing.

How can it,

how can he love me

that much?

And you get

another taste

of his love

and your heart

goes wild

all over again.

Have you known

God's love

like this?

You can.

So knowing

God's love

here

in your heart

leads to worship.

It leads to

lifelong worship

and it leads

to the deepest

satisfaction

of our souls.

Let's move on

to verse 6.

David says,

on my bed

I remember you.

I think of you

through the watches

of the night.

That's a pretty

intimate thing

to say,

isn't it?

Not only does

David do this

relational reminiscing

up in verse 2

but he says,

I do this

all the time.

I'm thinking

about you

all the time

God

on my bed

all through

the night.

And we don't

know the details

here.

Is David having

some trouble

sleeping?

Is that why

he's up

in all the

watches of the

night?

Well,

if he's in

the desert

probably he

doesn't have

the best night's

rest I'm

going to

guess.

His bed

might not

be much

better than

the hard

ground.

Maybe some

of these

troublemakers

who are

seeking to

kill him

and spreading

lies about

him have

something to

do with

the fact

that he's

up through

the watches

of the

night.

We don't

know for

sure,

but in

these quiet

moments on

his bed,

David says,

I think

about you,

God.

I think

of you all

through the

night.

I think

of you all

things.

Now, if

you were to

say that

to your

sweetheart,

it would

light a

fire in

her heart.

If we

think about

something a

lot, or

someone a

lot, and

often, and

all through

the sleepless

night, it's

usually something

or someone that

matters so

deeply to

us.

either it's

something that

weighs heavy on

our hearts, a

trouble, a

deep trouble, or

on the

positive side of

things, someone

that's very

dear, very

special to

us.

That's how it

was when I

first met my

wife, Jennifer.

I remember I

couldn't sleep.

I was so

excited.

And finally, I

found somebody

who put good

words to it

that explained

what I was

feeling.

It was Dr.

Seuss who

said it.

He said,

you know you're

in love when

you can't fall

asleep because

reality is

finally better

than your

dreams.

That's how it

was for me.

Now, David's not

talking about a

romantic relationship

here with God,

but it's obvious,

isn't it, that

God is supremely

precious to him.

as only he can

be.

On my bed, I

remember you.

I think of you

through the

watches of the

night.

Do you hear the

passion he has

for God?

The love, the

longing.

I mean, it's

so intense.

We get a

picture here of

a David who

just utterly

cherishes and

adores God.

And this

relationship that

David has with

God, it changes

everything.

for him in the

midst of his

troubles.

How easily he

could be lamenting

in this moment.

How easily he

could be complaining

about his

circumstances.

Asking God for

relief.

And yet,

verse 7,

because you are

my help, I

sing in the

shadow of your

wings.

God for

God for

Jesus.

This is like

David's

Paul and

Silas in the

jail moment.

He's out in

the dry desert,

utterly parched

for thirst,

exhausted and

weary, being

hunted and

slandered.

And yet he's

singing songs to

the God who

has loved him and

helped him and

upheld him.

Isn't that

something?

Do you have a

relationship with

God like this?

this is what

first drew me to

this psalm all

those years ago.

Not that I had a

relationship with

God like this, but

I wanted one.

And I saw that

here in God's

word, it's

possible.

David had it.

You can have

it.

I can have it.

It's real.

So that's the

second theme.

We see David's

desire for God

in the desert

which flows out

of his delight in

God and all of

the sweetness that

has come in that

relationship that he

has with God.

Let's look at one

more theme here

quickly.

Then we'll connect

this all to Christ

and then we'll

apply this to

ourselves.

There's something

about these will

statements all

throughout the

psalm that speaks

to us.

Because your love

is better than

life, my lips

will glorify

you.

I will praise

you as long

as I live.

In your name

I will lift up

my hands.

I will be

fully satisfied

as with the

richest of

foods.

With singing

lips my mouth

will praise

you.

And then we

pick it up

again in verse

nine.

Those who want

to kill me

will be destroyed.

They will go

down to the

depths of the

earth.

They will be

given over to

the sword.

But the king

will rejoice in

God.

All who swear

by God will

glory in him

while the mouths

of liars will

be silenced.

That's a lot

of will

statements.

What are we

to make of

this?

All of these

statements taken

together give us

this sense that

David is so

confident.

It's like he's

just sure of

how things will

be in the

future between

him and God

and between

his enemies

and God.

And yet at

the same

moment right

now here in

the present

David's still

in the desert

nothing's

changed.

His enemies

still want him

dead.

So David is

confident of

how it will

be even

though it's

not like that

right now.

He's confident

of how things

will turn out

even though that

future is

unseen.

It's invisible

to him.

He doesn't

feel that in

his present

circumstances.

This is how

real faith in

God expresses

itself.

As the author

of Hebrews put

it so well

faith is the

confidence in

what we hope

for.

It's the

assurance about

what we do

not see.

And there's a

powerful lesson

for us here.

Not an easy

lesson but a

powerful one.

David is

showing us

here that

life may not

always go as

we wish it

would.

At times

things can be

really hard

but even in

the midst of

that we can

rejoice.

We can sing.

We can be

satisfied in

God.

God.

We must look up

to the Lord.

We must look

ahead to what

he has

promised.

We must look

to see how

do all of the

things the good

promises that God

has given how

do they touch my

present situation.

God.

It really is

possible to

rise above

even in the

midst of

difficulty and

troubles and

trials.

But it happens

only through

faith.

Only through

belief.

Only through

trust in

God.

It happens

only through

desiring God

and seeking

him and

coming closer

to him to

enjoy his

love.

Believing

his promises.

All of

this David

wrote about

a thousand

years before

Jesus came on

the scene.

So we want

to consider

briefly for a

moment how

does this

passage point

us to

Jesus.

I see at

least two

ways.

The first

David says

that God's

love is better

than life.

And we

might wonder

if we're

honest some

of us in

our hearts

how can I

come to

know God's

love like

that?

How do I

get that?

I want to

tell you this

morning that

the best place

to start,

the best place

to continue

to know

God's love

is by looking

to Jesus.

Consider what

the author of

Hebrews said.

Hebrews chapter

one verse

three.

He said the

sun,

referring to

Jesus,

the sun is

the radiance

of God's

glory and

the exact

representation

of his

being.

So Jesus

is the

radiance.

He's the

shining forth

of God's

glory,

of all that

is good,

of all that

is great

about him.

The exact

representation

of who he

is,

which means

that God's

love is

most tangibly

seen in

Jesus,

in the

person of

Jesus,

in the

things that

he said,

the things

that he

did,

and who

he is.

So if you

want to grow

in your

enjoyment of

God's love,

look to

Jesus,

come to

Jesus,

start with

him.

And as

you do,

give special

attention to

the death

of Jesus

on the

cross.

Romans

chapter five

verse eight

says this,

God demonstrates

his own

love for

us in

this.

While we

were still

sinners,

Christ died

for us.

A

demonstration

is something

that you

can see.

Paul is

saying that

God made

his own

love

seeable

to us.

Seeable

to us

through

the death

of Christ

on the

cross

for us

while we

were still

sinners.

So look

to Jesus,

yes,

but also

look especially

to his

death

on the

cross

for you.

That's

where you'll

see the

love of

God in

the fullest

intensity.

It's the

meaning of

that.

It's the

significance

of that.

It's the

gift of

that,

the grace

of that.

The second

place we see

Christ

pointed to

from this

psalm.

David

expresses his

desire as we

heard for

God using

the language

of thirst

and hunger.

He said,

I thirst

for you.

My soul

will be

satisfied

as with the

richest of

foods.

He was

confident that

his deepest

longings would

be met

in God

and in

God alone.

And then

we fast

forward to

Jesus and

what did

Jesus say?

Jesus

declared,

John

John 6:35

chapter 6

verse 35,

I am the

bread of

life.

Whoever

comes to

me will

never go

hungry and

whoever believes

in me will

never be

thirsty.

John

John 7:37

chapter 7

verse 37,

another

occasion.

Jesus said

this, he

said,

let anyone

who is

thirsty

come to

me and

drink.

Jesus also

used the

language of

hunger and

thirst to

describe the

desires of

the human

soul.

But look at

what he

said.

He said,

if you want

that thirst

in your soul

quenched,

if you want

that hunger

satisfied,

come to

me.

Come to

me.

me.

I am the

bread of

life.

I have the

water of

life.

I'm the

one who can

meet that

deepest longing,

that deepest

need of

your soul

for God.

So again,

look to

Jesus,

come to

Jesus,

call out,

cry out to

him,

just like

David did

in Psalm

63,

to Jesus.

Jesus.

This psalm

will always

be precious

to me,

because it

describes for

me the kind

of relationship

that I've

been growing

with God

over the

years,

and it

speaks of

the still

deeper

relationship

that I can

have with

him.

It talks

of intimacy

and passion

between us

and God.

I want

to ask

you this

morning,

do you

have this

kind of

relationship

with God,

with Jesus?

Do you

want it?

Do you

want to

know God's

love

deeper,

better?

I've

already

pointed us

to Jesus

to find

that,

and to

grow in

that,

but I

want to

leave us

with just

one final

word of

encouragement.

Relationships

take work.

Most of

us have

learned that

by now.

I'm not

talking about

the exhausting

labor kind

of work,

but the

relational kind

of work.

You know

the things

I'm talking

about.

Think about

a loved

one,

a family

member.

To have

a good,

strong,

close

relationship

with that

person,

it requires

relational

work.

work.

It requires

that you

make the

spending time

with them

a priority.

It requires

intentionality,

that you

initiate with

them often.

It requires

words spoken

to them,

exchanged with

them,

feelings

expressed.

It requires

that you

listen to

them,

and really

listen.

it requires

that you

ask them

questions,

to get

to know

things about

them.

It requires

that you

seek to

understand

their needs

and their

desires,

and how

can I

meet those?

This is

the kind

of relational

work that

we must

do to

have a

good,

strong,

close

relationship

with another

human being,

with a

son,

or a

spouse,

or a

daughter,

or a

mother,

or a

father.

In the

same way,

our

relationship

with God

takes some

relational

work.

These same

kinds of

things.

We have

to prioritize

time spent

with him.

We have

to be

intentional

and initiate

with him.

We have

to listen

as he

speaks to

us and

respond.

We have

to speak

to him

through

prayer.

We have

to express

our hearts

and feelings

opening up

to him

regularly

and often.

These are

the things

that we do

to draw

near to

God.

I just

want to

leave us

with one

simple word

of encouragement.

This is

God's

invitation

to you

and to

me.

James

James 4:8

4,

verse 8.

It says,

draw near

to God

and he

will draw

near to

you.

Do you

want this

kind of

relationship

that David

has with

God in

Psalm 63?

Do you

want that

with Jesus?

It's not

complicated.

draw near

to God,

to Jesus

and he

will draw

near to

you.

He will

let you

know the

depths of

his love

for you.

Your soul

will be

satisfied

in him.

His love

really is

better than

life itself

so draw

near to

him.

It's that

simple.

God's

love.

Let's

pray.

Father in

heaven, we

thank you

that you

have loved

us with

such an

amazing

love.

So much

that you

sent your

son Jesus

to die

for us.

So much

Jesus that

you endured

such awful

suffering

and shame

so that we

could have

the forgiveness

of our sins

and be

restored to

relationship

with you.

We thank

you so

much for

that.

And I

pray that

each one

of us

here in

this room

would see

new depths

of that

love.

Today and

in this

week ahead,

fill us

with this

confident

faith,

this joy,

this hope

that was

David's,

and this

closeness

that he

had with

you.

We ask

this for

your name.

Amen.