Last night our church met for a praise and worship night. We sang some of our favorites songs of praise to God and focused on certain themes to help in our exaltation of God. One of the themes was that God is the only one who can truly satisfy us at a soul level. The world offers so much but delivers so little. We find ourselves trying to be satisfied on the cotton candy of life and yet we know that deep down we are empty and barren. Sadly this dryness of soul is the experience of many who call themselves Christians. Yet Jesus said that if we drink the living water He gives we will never thirst again (John 4:14), and if we eat the bread that comes down from heaven we will be truly satisfied (John 6:35).
In Psalm 63 King David bares his soul and reveals to us three ways that he found true and lasting satisfaction. David is a fugitive in the wilderness of Judah fleeing from either Saul or Absalom. Yet despite his adverse circumstances his heart is turned towards God – “O God, You are my God” – and he pens this amazing song that shows us where David drew his strength.
As Christians we can know that God is our sufficiency and complete satisfaction when:
1. As a Believer God is your true desire
vv. 1-4 show David’s soul thirsting for God because this world is a dry and weary land which provides no water. The bread and water of this world may satisfy your flesh but they will never satisfy your soul. It is only as your soul thirsts and yearns for God that you can find a source of true sufficiency. When like David you contemplate the power, glory, and lovingkindness of God, you will be able to magnify God with the fruit of lips that praise Him. Can you say that God is the desire of your soul?
2. As a Believer God is your true delight
vv. 5-7 reveal David delighting in God even in the darkness of the midnight hour. When his physical sight was restricted by the darkness, the eyes of his soul saw the blessings of God. He saw that his soul was satisfied as with marrow and fatness. In other words he lacked no good thing. There was a richness, a bounty, a fullness of soul that saw the protecting and caring hand of God in his life and led him to sing for joy. Do songs of joy flood your heart, even when the darkness shrouds your life?
3. As a Believer God is your only defense
vv. 8-11 picture David clinging to God as one would cling to a tree or a rock while climbing a vertical rock face. David is being hunted like a wild animal through mountains, caves and valleys, and here we see that his security is clearly in the Lord. His soul clings to God not by His own strength, but because the Lord upholds him by His right hand. He knows that nothing can separate him from the love of God. He perceives the end of his enemies, that their lives will be overpowered by the sword, and their lies will be stopped. Is God your defense against your enemies? Do you leave room for the vengence of God?
As you contemplate your own life, can you clearly see these three evidences of delighting on the Lord, desiring the Lord, and looking to the Lord as your defense? If you can, then join David in praising God; but if not, then turn from looking to what the world offers for temporary satisfaction and turn and seek out earnestly the only One who can truly satisfy your soul.