{"id":3538,"date":"2018-04-27T15:29:55","date_gmt":"2018-04-27T15:29:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/takingeverythoughtcaptivetoobeychrist.wordpress.com\/?p=3538"},"modified":"2018-04-27T15:29:55","modified_gmt":"2018-04-27T15:29:55","slug":"psalm-63-thirsting-for-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/psalm-63-thirsting-for-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Psalm 63: Thirsting for God"},"content":{"rendered":"

Imagine you are stranded on an island, with no access to drinkable water. As time goes on, you begin to weaken, your body begins to cramp up, and eventually, you pass out. As you are laying down, all you can think about is one thing, water. You must have it, or else you will die. Nothing else matters. In Psalm 63, David finds himself in this situation, both physically and spiritually.<\/span> The text shows us that he was in a dry and barren land without any water, as he was chased by his enemy, Absalom. His body must have ached for water! The one thing we see is that, rather than thirsting for physical water, David\u2019s deepest thirst was for living water. In this passage, we see that David\u2019s soul longed for God! With all his soul, David thirsted to know His God. Therefore, David declares that the longing of his soul is for God alone.<\/span>
\n<\/b>
\n<\/b> Today I want to look at David\u2019s passion for God (Psalm 63:1-2). In these two verses, David affirms that his soul\u2019s consuming passion is to behold God. Also, we will see how his passion for God is expressed in four different ways:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. It Is a Personal Passion (1a)<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. It Is a Preeminent Passion (1b)<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. It Is a Powerful Passion (1c)<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. It Is a Provoked Passion (2)<\/span>\n

    <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Psalm 63:1-2, \u201cV1. O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;\u00a0my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you,\u00a0as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. <\/span><\/i>
    \n<\/span><\/i>V2. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

    <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

      \n
    • It Is a Personal Passion (V1a): Fellowship with God <\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

       <\/p>\n

      David begins the Psalm by declaring his fellowship with his God, \u201cO God, you are my God.\u201d The Psalmist begins by identifying God as His God (i.e., that you are \u201cmy God\u201d),<\/span> which reflects the intimate relationship that David shared with His God. For David to claim that God was his God, the relationship had to be more than just believing in God\u2019s existence, or knowing things about God. What David is telling us is that he knows God personally! And so, the Psalmist begins with a declaration that He knows the living God. That he has fellowship with God! Does the reality we are His, and He is ours grip us deeply? O Brothers and Sisters, may we say together, \u201cO God, you are my God,\u201d with a greater passion and confidence than David! We have access to God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ! That should thrill us! This reality of having God as his own, thrilled David. How much more should it thrill us as New Testament believers? Therefore, David first shows us his passion. Next, we will see David\u2019s preeminent passion.<\/span><\/p>\n

      <\/b><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

        \n
      • It Is a Preeminent Passion (Psalm 63:1): <\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

         <\/p>\n

        The Psalmist goes on in Verse 1 to say, \u201c<\/span>earnestly is seek you.<\/span><\/i>\u201d Therefore, we see that God is the only one worthy to be sought. In the midst of fleeing from Absalom, He is not saying, \u201cI seek safety, I seek refuge, I seek comfort, but I seek God!\u201d This reveals that his longing for God is preeminent<\/span> in his life. David is set to seek God before anything else, for in God he finds his safety, his refuge, and comfort for his soul! \u201cEarnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you;\u201d says the Psalmist, for our soul will only find its rest and satisfaction in God alone. Therefore, his passion is preeminent; only Christ can satisfy! Therefore, so far, David has shown us that his passion is personal and preeminent, and now we will see that it is a powerful passion.<\/span><\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

          \n
        • It Is a Powerful Passion (Psalm 63:1):<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

           <\/p>\n

          Finding himself in a barren wilderness, \u201ca dry and weary land where there is no water,\u201d<\/span> David felt more than a physical thirst for water. David describes his experience as an intense inner longing for God himself, where he says, \u201cMy soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you.\u201d The Psalmist knew that it was essential for him to maintain a close, vibrant walk with God to be sustained, strengthened, and satisfied for his current and future trials. His soul could no more live without God than his body could live without water<\/span>. <\/b>It\u2019s as if David listened to the words of the Lord Jesus in John 7:37 – \u201cIf anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.\u201d \u2013 David came and drank! And he says to God, my soul thirsts for you! Like a man who is dehydrated in a desert, longing for water, so too was David\u2019s mind consumed with the thought of God.<\/span> Therefore, David\u2019s passion was a powerful passion! Recall, so far, we have seen that David\u2019s passion is personal, preeminent, powerful, and finally provoked.<\/span><\/p>\n

          <\/b><\/p>\n

           <\/p>\n

            \n
          • It Is a Provoked Passion (V2):<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

             <\/p>\n

            Finally, we see that David\u2019s passionate longing for God was provoked because of a past encounter with God in the sanctuary, where he beheld God in His power and glory! Perhaps David had a similar encounter like Isaiah, where he beheld God in all his Holiness and splendor. This beholding of God in His glory and power led to a deeper knowledge of God, which gripped David\u2019s soul in a time of trial.<\/span> Therefore, it was David\u2019s experience of God\u2019s glory and power that provoked him to seek God so passionately!<\/span> David beheld the King of the universe, in His power, and His blazing glory, and so must we!<\/span> <\/p>\n

            <\/b><\/p>\n

            Conclusion:<\/b><\/p>\n

            Therefore, the focus of this Psalm is a passionate call to know God more intimately as we behold Him in the pages of Scripture.<\/span> In this text, we see that David had a passion for God! His passion in this text was displayed personal, preeminent, powerful, and provoked. <\/span><\/p>\n

            At this point, you may be asking, \u201cHow can this thirst for God grow in an ordinary believer like me?\u201d Well, it is said that<\/span> the appetite grows with eating! As one eats more and more, their appetite will grow. As they eat less and less, their appetite shrinks! There is a crucial parallel here:<\/span> The more we feed our souls on God\u2019s Word, the more our desire for Him will grow! The God-given way to have a thirst for God is to feed on His Word. As you continue to drink deep in the Word of God, you will hear yourself say:<\/span><\/p>\n

            \u201cO God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirst for you; my flesh faints for you.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Imagine you are stranded on an island, with no access to drinkable water. As time goes on, you begin to weaken, your body begins to cramp up, and eventually, you pass out. As you are laying down, all you can think about is one thing, water. You must have it, or else you will die. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":686,"featured_media":3539,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,25,30,32],"tags":[85,205,274,348,510,557,679,683,699,823,1001,1014,1056,1105,1245],"class_list":{"0":"post-3538","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-commentary","8":"category-faith","9":"category-preaching","10":"category-theology","11":"tag-85","12":"tag-bible","13":"tag-christ","14":"tag-david","15":"tag-for","16":"tag-god","17":"tag-jesus","18":"tag-jj","19":"tag-joshua","20":"tag-mills","21":"tag-psalm","22":"tag-rags","23":"tag-riches","24":"tag-scripture","25":"tag-thirsting","26":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/04\/desert-wedding-location.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3544,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/psalm-131\/","url_meta":{"origin":3538,"position":0},"title":"Psalm 131","author":"Joshua Mills","date":"April 30, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The more the Christian matures in Christ, the more humble and childlike their faith becomes. 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