My whole being longs for you. Psalm 63:1
“Bobbie the Wonder Dog” was a collie mix separated from his family while they were on a summer vacation together more than 2,200 miles from home. The family searched everywhere for their beloved pet but returned heartbroken without him.
Six months later, toward the end of winter, a scraggly but determined Bobbie showed up at their door in Silverton, Oregon. Bobbie somehow made the long and dangerous trek, crossing rivers, desert, and snow-covered mountains to find his way home to those he loved.
Bobbie’s quest inspired books, movies, and a mural in his hometown. His devotion strikes a chord within, perhaps because God has placed an even deeper longing in our hearts. Ancient theologian Augustine described it this way: “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” This same longing was desperately yet eloquently expressed by David in a prayer as he hid from his pursuers in Judah’s wilderness: “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1).
David praised God because His “love is better than life” (v. 3). Nothing compares with knowing Him! Through Jesus, God has sought us out and made the way for us to come home to His perfect love—regardless of how distant we once were. As we turn to Him, we find our heart’s true home.
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,m
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.n
2 I have seen you in the sanctuaryo
and beheld your power and your glory.p
3 Because your love is better than life,q
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,r
and in your name I will lift up my hands.s
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;t
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
I think of you through the watches of the night.u
7 Because you are my help,v
I sing in the shadow of your wings.w
8 I cling to you;x
your right hand upholds me.y
9 Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;z
they will go down to the depths of the earth.a
10 They will be given over to the swordb
and become food for jackals.c
11 But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God will glory in him,d
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.e
INSIGHT
- What do you look forward to most about one day seeing Jesus?
- In what ways will you seek Him today?
Though the superscription (information about authorship, occasion, and musical or liturgical instruction) of Psalm 63 includes the name of the songwriter, “David,” and the setting, “the Desert of Judah” (wilderness), we aren’t given the circumstances under which this psalm was written. The most likely situation was when David fled to the wilderness from his rebellious son Absalom (2 Samuel 15–18). “The whole countryside wept aloud as all the people passed by. The king also crossed the Kidron Valley, and all the people moved on toward the wilderness” (15:23; see vv. 27–29; 16:2; 17:16, 29). David was on the run from a son he loved dearly (13:37–39) and for whom, upon his death, he would weep bitterly and mourn deeply (18:31–19:4). Whatever the occasion, during a time of deep difficulty, David found strength to call upon and cling to God (Psalm 63:1, 8).
PRAYER
Jesus, thank You for making the way for me to come to You through Your life, death on the cross, and resurrection. In Your name, I pray. Amen!!
Read: Psalm 63 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 20-22; Ephesians 6
