Psalm 63:1-2
What difficulties are you facing today? Have you ever found that when you try and see God in the midst of your circumstances, what’s going on is so all-consuming that you fail to really see where God is?
In Psalm 63 we find King David in the midst of a personal crisis. He has no idea where God is, or what to do. He is emotionally spent. Here, we get to see ‘behind the scenes’ as to how David responds. So let’s journey alongside David, through this incredible psalm. And let’s see how David’s experience might help us navigate our own difficulties.
Praying in the desert
The psalm’s heading says that David “was in the Desert of Judah.” Why was the king out in the desert, when he should have been in his palace? 2 Sam 15:1-15 tells the story of King David’s son Absolom and his treachery as he tries to take David’s place as king. Because David really cares for the people around him and what might happen to them if there’s a battle, he flees Jerusalem and heads out into the desert. But the story also reveals that David had no idea whether what has happened was actually God-ordained or not (1 Sam 15:25-27; 16:12).
Perhaps you can identify with David? You may be in the midst of family difficulties and feel torn and emotionally upset by what has happened. Perhaps you are facing a situation like David where you are unsure as to what God is saying. If you were David, how would you pray?
Adjusting our perspective
Here’s what David says to God:
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.
Psalm 63:1
David begins by declaring “You, God, you are my God.” Right at the start, he establishes the Almighty Creator God (Elohim) as his God. In using the name “Elohim,” David is focusing in the power, strength and might of God as Creator and Lord of everything that exists. To David, God isn’t just “up there in heaven,” but He is intimately involved in his life on earth.
Just like David, we also need to begin with God, not with our circumstances – and this requires us to have a change in perspective. So why not take a moment to think about your own perspective regarding the things you are facing. Are you able to confidently proclaim with David, “You, God, are my God?” Do you have a view of God as intimately involved in your life and right there with you through your difficulties?
Finding God in the desert place
Notice the picture David is painting in the rest of verse 1. He has fled out into the desert. He is feeling dry and arid, just like the desert around him. He describes it as “a dry and weary land where there is no water.” He is not denying the reality of his circumstances, but he is desperate to find Almighty God in the midst of this seemly barren and hopeless place. There is an intensity and earnestness as he seeks, longs and thirsts for God.
In what ways can you relate to how David has described himself? While David acknowledges how he is feeling, instead of continuing to gaze on the barrenness of the desert around him, his attention is captured by something else…
I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Psalm 63:2
David remembers an encounter he has had with God in the tabernacle (sanctuary) in Jerusalem. We don’t know what he is referring to, but we do know that he grasped something of God’s power and glory in this encounter. Just as David has encountered Creator God in the sanctuary, he now needs to encounter him in the desert place. We’ll see how this plays out for David in the next post.
Where have you encountered God in the past? When was the last time you were conscious of His presence; His protection; His love for you? Just as David remembered his encounter with God, take time to remember what your own encounter with God felt like. Scripture tells us that God is always with us, and nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39) – no matter how we are feeling in this moment. Hold onto that promise from God.
On the Resources page you will find an extra study guide that will help you dig deeper into this psalm for yourself. Why not check it out now.
