Ready To Receive

 Psalm 63:1-11

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.

2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,

To see Your power and Your glory.

3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips shall praise You.

4 Thus I will bless You while I live;

I will lift up my hands in Your name.

5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

6 When I remember You on my bed,

I meditate on You in the night watches.

7 Because You have been my help,

Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

8 My soul follows close behind You;

Your right hand upholds me.

9 But those who seek my life, to destroy it,

Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

10 They shall fall by the sword;

They shall be a portion for jackals.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God;

Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;

But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

Have you ever seen a nest of baby birds crying to be fed? The helpless offspring squeak insistently and stretch their beaks as far as possible to be filled with whatever their parents have for them. Just imagine, this is what God expects us to do with Him. The mighty King David recognized his complete dependence on the Lord—and the amazing bounty he received when he did the same thing.

David deeply loved God but was beset with trials throughout his life. He probably wrote this psalm on the run from his son, who was trying to kill him and seize the throne.

Psalm 63 describes intense longing. In verse Psalm 63:1, David says his soul “thirsts” and his flesh “yearns.” Strong’s Concordance says the Hebrew word used here means “to faint,” suggesting David is so empty he is near to collapse—not for physical sustenance, but spiritual. It might surprise us that God let David become so empty. Why might this be? Has it ever happened to you? Have you ever been so distraught in an emotional and spiritual way that you just feel overwhelmed?  I know I have, but we need to be as David and remember where our help comes from.

David says the land is “dry and weary” and there’s no water (v. 1). Everyone experiences longing, but many don’t realize when it’s for God. They try to fill the emptiness with other things or people. Yet part of being filled by God is recognizing nothing will satisfy our hunger the way He can. Have you ever tried to get sustenance from a “dry and weary land”? What was the result?  I know I have tried to find fulfillment in many ways.  A lot of us, including myself, try to find it in the approval of others.  Some of us may look for it in our careers.  Some of us may even be trying to find it in service in our church.  True fulfillment, true longing, can only be fulfilled in the person of Christ Jesus.

Psalm 63:1-4 suggests that to be filled, David had to recognize his emptiness, turn away from anything his surroundings could offer, cry out to God, remember His glory and love, and praise Him with uplifted arms.  We must do the same in our times of need.  Just as the birds stretch out their necks and open their mouths wide, we must reach out to God.

This psalm of David is a passionate description of a man whose emptiness (pain, longing, lack, fear, helplessness, frustration) was filled by the Lord (with joy, comfort, love, protection, strength, and vindication). But as wonderful as that is, it’s only the beginning. This filling by God does not just satisfy our hunger; it also provides the fuel that makes us capable of great works for Him.