By David Phillips
Thirsting for God, Psalm 63:1-4
I’m thinking you never realized how complicated “thirst” was. Until now, that is, and I’m about to fill you in. Thirst is something we don’t have to understand much about to be very familiar with. How could you live in the South and not experience a lot of thirst?
Thirst is “an essential mechanism involved in fluid balance. It arises from a lack of fluids or an increase in the concentration of certain osmolytes, such as sodium. If the water volume of the body falls below a certain threshold or the osmolyte concentration becomes too high, structures in the brain detect changes in blood constituents and signal thirst”, (Wikipedia). I’d say those physiological facts indicate a much better designed system than could develop through evolution, wouldn’t you agree? When David wrote Psalm 42:1-2, he probably didn’t know anything about osmolytes and brain sensors, but he no doubt had been thirsty and he surely had seen a thirsty animal, thus As a deer pants for the flowing streams, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
Again, and in even greater detail in Psalm 63:1-4, he writes, O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts 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.
Thirst is a powerful motivator, one we can certainly relate to. But could we accurately describe our desire and quest for seeking, serving and pleasing God as “thirsting”? The thirst of our souls for God should lead us to worship Him (So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary…).
What is God’s steadfast love that David references as being better than life? What the ESV renders as steadfast love, the NASB and New King James calls lovingkindness. It is generally agreed that this term has reference to God’s unmerited love and kindness toward His creatures. Surely God’s love and kindness toward us, as seen in His daily provision (air to breathe, etc.), in His grace pertaining to our salvation (the sacrifice of His Son), and His special spiritual blessings to His people in Christ (continual cleansing, peace that passeth all understanding, Christian joy, etc.), are much, much better than life. So let’s praise Him; let’s bless Him as long as we live (recall our discussion of Psalm 66, Blessed be God…).
That paragraph in Psalm 63 on thirsting for God ends with David saying, …in Your name I will lift up my hands. Uplifted hands, particularly in the Old Testament, usually signified a worshipful attitude, especially submission rising out of humility. One of the results of this kind of contemplation upon God’s steadfast love is a clearer realization of His greatness measured against our emptiness. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven, Matthew 5:3.
How deeply we need God. Job properly characterizes what should be our position in Job 23:12 – I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.