Psalm 63

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.

I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.

Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.

I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.

Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.

Those who want to kill me will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth.

They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals.

But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God will glory in him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

RAMP: READ / ANALYZE / MEDITATE / PRAY

R: Read the Passage

Read the passage fully without taking any notes. Then read it again!

Psalm 63 is written by David (yep, the same one). The context is very similar to Psalm 40 in that David is still running from his son, Absalom, who is trying to overthrow his kingdom (read 2 Samuel 15). David is literally running for his life. People are trying to kill him in order to overthrow his kingship.

Read David’s words as a cry for help when truly there is no one else to help him other than God.

A: Analyze

Journal your response to these questions:

1. What does this say about God?

So much! When God is the only one who can save us, we see Him for who He is.

2. What does this say about you?

Sometimes, the best things we can see about ourselves is our need for God to save us.

3. Is there a command to follow?

Maybe not straight forward commands, but the scriptures certainly imply a command to look to God for our full satisfaction and as the Giver and Sustainer of life.

4. Is there a sin to repent of?

When I look at how David cries out to God and how he sees God, I realize I oftentimes look for others, or even inward to myself, to meet my needs. Father, forgive me!

5. Is there a promise to claim?

Verses 7-8 have quickly become some of my favorites after studying this chapter. When I cling to God, He upholds me. Wow. And because He’s my help, my song always has something to sing in the protection of His covering. Wow. Wow. Wow.

M: Meditate

• Where have you seen God move?

• Where have you seen His power and His glory in your own life?

• Ok, so you have seen God’s love do amazing things in your life. But can you honestly say His love is better than life itself? Ask God to help you believe that to be true.

• Are you finding full satisfaction for your soul in Him?

• Are you thinking of God throughout the night and remembering His faithfulness in your life? There is such power in remembrance.

P: Pray

Pray your notes back to God. Thank Him for being your God, for satisfying the deepest needs in your soul while meeting your most basic needs for life. Ask Him to help you see His love as the gift it is — better than anything this world can offer.

Ask God to give you strength and perspective in the midst of your “running” from whomever/whatever this world is attacking you with. As David was able to claim the promise that everyone chasing him would KNOW GOD and PRAISE GOD.

Nicole’s Notes:

Right out of the gate, David acknowledges God exists AND that God is his personal God. Don’t miss this. It’s much easier to call God - God. To acknowledge the position. Things shift and change when we call that same God OUR God. In your greatest times of need, make it personal. God made it personal when He sent His son to redeem you back. Not only is He God, He is YOUR GOD.

Don’t let the enemy trick you into thinking that God is further away during our times of tragedy or attack. Not only is this contrary to scripture itself (Psalm 34 tells us God is near to the brokenhearted), we also don’t see this example from David. David understands the character of God — that God is God regardless of the circumstances. In fact, it’s in the desert that David’s desire for God actually grows. When under attack, we can see that God is personal — His relationship, His salvation, His rescue.

When our desire for God grows, especially in seasons of frustration, our hearts can do nothing but worship God more. We see in David the beauty of worshiping God even in the wilderness.

See David’s progression and ask God to make this a reality in your own heart/life:

• David acknowledges God for who He is

• A desire to know and be loved by a sovereign and personal God grows inside David’s Heart

• David worships the sovereign God

• David’s soul becomes satisfied THROUGH the worship of God.

David doesn’t set parameters on his worship — except that he will worship as long as he is living. Worship is not circumstantial, worship is the only way to live.

So many times, we feel like we have to re-learn what God wants to do and is able to do in our lives. I don’t believe it should be this way. Verse two can be a truth we speak back to God every single day — I have seen you move and I have beheld your power and glory. The key is remembering — remembering the past faithfulness of God and applying it into the present circumstance.

David shows us how to remember — constantly. During David’s time, people were assigned the three different watches of the night (sunset to 10 p.m. | 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. | 2 a.m. to sunrise) in order to protect against the enemy and a potential attack. In David’s current situation, he did not have a single person he could count on to have his back against Absalom. There was no one to take a watch shift for him. But notice this — who is David thinking of during the watches of the night? Verse 6: "On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.” David is not thinking about Absalom. David is thinking about HIS God.

Throughout the longest nights of our lives, we can rest when we know OUR all powerful and sovereign God is on our side and fighting our battles.

When we keep our eyes, our focus and our worship pointed to our God, a couple of supernatural transformations happen:

• We no longer take the attacks personally, we see them as an attack on the plans of God. When we have submitted our lives to God and aligned our lives with His mission, the enemies in our life aren’t out to get us. They are out to disrupt what God wants to do through us. The attacks of the enemy never stop with us — it's never just about us. It’s an assault against God. You know what is incredible about Absalom attempting to overthrow David? The plans of God to bring forth a Savior (Jesus) was through the line of David. An attempt to overthrow David’s rule was an attempt to disrupt God’s master plan. David may not have known the details, but he trusted HIS God with the outcome.

• We no longer rejoice in the destruction of our enemies, instead, we see a higher perspective that when God makes His plan and Himself known, even our enemies will praise Him.

Psalm 63 | The Message:

God—you’re my God! I can’t get enough of you!

I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God, traveling across dry and weary deserts.

So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open, drinking in your strength and glory.

In your generous love I am really living at last! My lips brim praises like fountains.

I bless you every time I take a breath; My arms wave like banners of praise to you!

I eat my fill of prime rib and gravy; I smack my lips. It’s time to shout praises!

If I’m sleepless at midnight, I spend the hours in grateful reflection.

Because you’ve always stood up for me, I’m free to run and play.

I hold on to you for dear life, and you hold me steady as a post.

Those who are out to get me are marked for doom, marked for death, bound for hell.

They’ll die violent deaths; jackals will tear them limb from limb.

But the king is glad in God; his true friends spread the joy,

While small-minded gossips are gagged for good.