Scripture
Psalm 63:1 (NKJV)
A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
63:1 O God, you are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You. In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.
Focus Words
Try reading these verses a second time, totally focused on these key words:
Early- (adverb) near the beginning of a particular time or period. Original Word: שׁחר: be up early at any task
Thirsts- (verb) having a strong desire for something. Original Word: צמא
to thirst
Longs- (verb) to have an earnest or strong desire or craving; yearn. Original Word: כּמהּ: to pine after
Thirsty- (adj.) eagerly desirous; eager. Original Word: עיף: faint, exhausted, weary.
Biblical History
This psalm as well as many of the other psalms found in God's Word was written by David. David was an ordinary person who relied on God for his daily strength. Because of this, God used David to accomplish extraordinary things.
As the appointed king and even later as the ruling king, David had enemies. He would often escape from his enemies by hiding out in the wilderness of Judah. This particular psalm was written during one of these times.
Notice in this psalm that although David was away from the luxuries of his kingdom, it was God that he was longing for- not his luxuries. David truly was a man after God's own heart.
Connection to us
As David clearly understood: Our spirits THIRST for God just as our physical bodies THIRST for water!
Water is a HUGE part of our daily lives. We thirst for water because our physical bodies need it in order to stay alive. But there is a much deeper need for water than physical thirst. There is an emotional need for water as well. Have you ever noticed that as humans, we have a natural tendency to draw closer to bodies of water? The nearness to water seems to both sooth and replenished us. Because of this many family vacations are planned around large bodies of water.
Even during a simple nature walk, there is something so relaxing about sitting beside a forest stream. The sound of the flowing water seems to magically calm us. Why do you think God created us to be drawn to and soothed by water? Maybe it is to help us to understand a "spiritual" truth by experiencing a "physical" reaction. Maybe we are born with a physical pull towards “water” to remind us that our spirits are born with this same physical pull!
This draw to water may be God's way of showing us that just as our physical bodies can be quenched and soothed by earthy water in the same way that our spiritual bodies can be quenched and soothed by the TRUE “living water”, Jesus Christ.
Is your spirit feeling parched? Jesus Christ can QUENCH you today! I challenge you to spend the next 10 minutes absorbing the LIVING water of Christ’s LOVE deep into your spirits through quiet meditation and prayer.
