SING!
Opening Prayer
Thank You, God, that my standing before You does not depend on my changing feelings, but on the finished work of Christ.
Read Psalm 63
Psalm 63[a]
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.
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.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 I cling to you;
your right hand upholds me.
9 Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.
10 They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.
11 But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God will glory in him,
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.
Footnotes:
a Psalm 63:1 In Hebrew texts 63:1-11 is numbered 63:2-12.
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica
Reflect
Why would we earnestly seek, thirst for, and long for such a God as ours?This is a psalm full of passion for God. Skim it again, and note each time David expresses intense desire for God. It’s worth asking how we could develop the same intense longing for God that David shows.
This, of course, is a song. The longest book of the Bible, Psalms, is a book of songs. And the Bible contains over 50 commands to sing. Why? In part, the answer is because God has designed music to connect with our emotions. So when we sing in worship to God, music is there to get our feelings in line with the truths we express. “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Matt. 15:8). David’s example is one worth following.
The words really matter. This is a song of longing for God. Spend some time thinking on the words David uses to describe the God he longs for: power and glory (2), love (3), help and support (7,8); and the words of justice in verses 9–11.
Apply
Now pray this psalm as your own prayer. Or better still: sing it. For example, consider the modern version by Shane & Shane, “Better Than Life.”
Closing prayer
You are my everything, God my Father. Renew my spirit today.
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