“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for 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; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon 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 will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” (v1-8)
The main theme of this Psalm is sustenance – David likens his relationship with God to a sustenance (food/water). The main difference between this sustenance and the sustenance (food) most people think of is this food feeds the soul, not the stomach.
“My soul thirsts… my flesh faints for you” – it’s interesting that David describes both the spiritual and the physical aspects of his being here, implying that both are sustained by God, not just his soul. It’s clear that David puts his entire well-being into God’s hands, not just part of it. I think it’s a common misconception for people to think of God as merely a provider of spiritual sustenance, and forget that all provision is from God, including but not limited to physical food and drink. God is the sole provider of everything, for without Him nothing would exist that currently exists, since we and this universe were created by Him. From that perspective, all forms of sustenance that we recognize and understand are from God. I think Jesus implies this as well: “Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’ But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’ So the disciples said to one another, ‘Has anyone brought him something to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.’ ” (Jn 4:31-34) In this passage, the disciples only understood sustenance as physical food, but Jesus knew there was much more to it than that.
“Your steadfast love is better than life… So… as long as I live” – David also recognizes that God is not only the creator of life, God is life. Being with Him is life-giving, and better than “life on earth” as we understand it. This physical existence on earth pales in comparison to the eternal existence God longs to give us, and David basically says in a heartbeat he’d trade his physical life for God’s eternal love (paraphrasing here). “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.” (Jn 1:3-4) “The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (Job 33:4)
“I seek you… I will bless you… I will lift up my hands… My soul will be satisfied… my mouth will praise you… I will sing for joy” – David describes himself as not only satisfied, but grateful, joyful, and full of praise. I believe that in a close relationship with God, praise and joy are a natural consequence. Humankind was designed by God to crave a relationship with Him, to be fully dependent on Him. When we seek to fulfill ourselves apart from God, we are not satisfied – we we seek to fulfill ourselves in God, our spirit overflows with these natural byproducts David describes. I see this all the time in the world (and myself), when people seek satisfaction in the wrong things. I’m not proud of this, but I used to enjoy James Bond movies – believe it or not, his family motto was “the world is not enough” (which was mentioned in one movie and the title of another). Even James Bond, who most people would consider “successful”, realized that if you get everything you want from this world, it still won’t satisfy, and it will never be enough. We were designed by God, with a need for God, that cannot be met by the world.
I’ll close with one of Paul’s echos of this Psalm’s theme: “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Php 4:11-13,19-20) Even though he was physically in prison, Paul was abundantly joyful and satisfied, because he was rooted in Christ (God).
Father God, please teach us to seek you in all circumstances, with our entire being. We will bless You and lift our hands to You out of response to who You are. Our souls and even our flesh will only be satisfied by You. We praise You and sing for joy for Your everlasting love and patience with us. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. (ps 63, Php 4:20 par)
~ Conqueror in Training