2 So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary, beholding Your power and glory. 3 Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You.
4 So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise You with joyful lips."
(Psalm 63:1-5 ESV)
This is a Psalm written by David as a fugitive (before he became king of Israel) hiding in the wilderness of Judah. King Saul had been after David for sometime and wanted him dead. David and his small army had been moving from place to place mostly in the wilderness and dessert area in the south. Looking at this background story gives you a better perspective on this Psalm.
Verse 1 was David's motive: "I seek You." His desire; his longing was for God - not for the comforts of a palace or even just a permanent home. For God. Nothing else!
Verse 2 was his response to the previous verse: "I looked for You." He was out in the open where he can clearly see the skies during the day and the vast number of stars at night. The sanctuary he was talking about was not The Tabernacle or any physical place. He was seeking God's presence in the midst of His circumstance.
Verse 3 was the reason why he did what he did: "Your lovingkindness." David said that God's love and His kindness was better than life. Better than his own existence! God is GOD. God is... God, all by Himself, without anything attached to it! God is powerful and glorious.
Verse 4 is another response from David: "I will bless You. I will lift up my hands in Your name." David explains in this verse that he will praise God as long as he exists. He knew his days were numbered. King Saul and his army were after him. He probably also wondered if they would survive the harshness of living as fugitives in the Judean wilderness. David was determined to keep praising the Lord!
Verse 5 is the result: "My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips." What a contrast to life in the dessert! David talks about spiritual fullness, spiritual satisfaction - much more than just the temporary physical gratification.
God is... the only ultimate desire we should have. God is... reason for rejoicing. God is... cause for joyful lips praising Him in spite of our circumstance. God is... SATISFYING.
This is my desire for the year 2015. I get so caught up in the god of accomplisment and "things to do" that I tend forget this: "O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You..." (Psalm 63:1)
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