Devotional Messages

DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE

Psalm 63:1-8 – O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts got you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.  So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.  Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.  So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name. My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.  My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.  (NRSV)

Have you ever felt like your relationship with God is shamefully inconsistent?  Like sometimes you’re all on board, praying with sincerity, serving others with willingness and love, and feeling the Presence, but then other times you’re empty and apathetic and can’t tell if God is even there? You’re not alone!  Psalm 63 moves from one mood to another in the space of five short verses.  Which is it, we might ask the psalmist, are you thirsty or satisfied?  But we won’t ask, because we know the feeling, don’t we?

This is why memory can be such a blessing.  This psalm starts out in a difficult place, “a dry and weary land where there is no water.” We’ve all been through times when we felt spiritually parched.  But even as the feeling is described, it’s as if the psalmist is remembering what they did last time that happened.  Upon remembering the glory and love of God, the praise bursts forth, and soon other memories overwhelm us till we’re “satisfied as with a rich feast”.

One of the best ways to get through a difficult time is to recall that we’ve made it through hard times before; God has always carried us through.  If you haven’t been through something quite like today’s struggle, there are people around you who have.  When we can’t find God, we can still seek out the testimonies of those who have gone before us, whether this psalm writer or a close friend.

Sometimes the hope we have in Christ is the furthest thing from our minds when we’re lying awake in “the watches of the night”.  But what a blessed habit to cultivate!  What could you keep beside your bed – or wherever you’re most likely to be when you notice you’re spiritually parched – that would remind you of the steadfast love of God and help you practice joyful praise?  Sometimes all our memories need is a little reminder to help our hearts wander into greener pastures.