Transcription
Psalm 63: A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
Oh 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.
But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exalt, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
Thank you, Father, for this beautiful song, and I pray both its lament and its exaltation would train us in how to pray, how to worship. In Jesus' name, oh God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you. Father, in the way that we have established other gods, other altars, would they be torn down? You are our God, the author and originator of our lives. You sustain all things; you love us and care for us and provide for us. You are our God; earnestly we seek you.
And Father, where there is not earnestness, would you give us a hunger and a thirst for your presence, an urgency to seek your face? Help us to strip away the distractions, the other crutches that prop up our soul but do so insufficiently. The other vines we've attached ourselves to, trying to draw life from them to satisfy the deep longings of the soul. May we seek your face.
God, we are the wealthiest society in the history of the planet. We have more physical comforts, more material wealth, and are at risk of losing touch with our great need. So Lord, may we choose to live voluntary monastic lifestyles in that we strip away just enough to maintain a constant awareness of our need for you. And would there be a hunger and a thirst that emerges for the person of Jesus Christ? You are the lily of the valleys, the bright and morning star. May we be captivated by you all over again.
May the disorientation of the world drive us to long to reconnect with you. You are the vine; we are the branches. If we do not abide in you, we can do nothing of eternal value, of eternal significance. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and your glory. And you say that as we behold Jesus Christ, we are transformed into that same image from glory to glory. May we see your face; may we behold your nature as we study your word, as we pay attention to the world around us in all the ways that you have revealed yourself in creation. May we see you in the testimony of the saints over the centuries and millennia. May we see you at work in our own lives, the faint whispers of the Holy Spirit guiding, directing, comforting, illuminating each and every day.
Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. May that be our testimony. May we taste and see that you are good, and as we do, may we return it with worship and praise. May we lift up our voices to you in exaltation, that we would bless you as long as we live, and in your name lift up our hands. There would be a physical, demonstrative response to the revelation of your steadfast love, that you are with us, that you forgive our sins, you overlook our trespasses, you cleanse us and justify us because of the power of your own blood.
May our souls be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and may our mouths praise you with joyful lips. May we eat and drink deeply of your presence, fully satisfied in your love, and again may our mouths praise you with joyful lips. I pray that there would be joy in the body of Christ, joy in our salvation, joy in your presence, even when we remember you upon our beds and meditate on you in the watches of the night. As we wake up with anxiety, may it be replaced with unrelenting joy. May our hearts and minds be quickened to think about you in the night, to meditate on your word, to commune with you, to be consciously aware of your presence.
For you have been our help, and in the shadow of your wings, we will sing for joy. May we remember, think back to all of the ways you have sustained us, protected us, provided for us, that you have forgiven our sins and empowered us to walk in your way as we rest in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you, and your right hand upholds me. Like the woman who reached through the crowd to grab a hold of the hem of your garment, may we cling to you violently, laying hold of you and not letting go, even as the currents and the torrents and the winds around us try to rip us away from our faith and who you are. May we cling to you, because it's your right hand that upholds us.
May that knowledge be too wonderful for us, as it was for the psalmist, that there is nowhere we could go to escape your presence. You know us; you see us. Even before a word is on our lips, you know it completely. Your right hand lays hold of us.
But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be apportioned for jackals. Father, we recognize that vengeance is yours; you will repay. Far be it from us to take vengeance into our own hands. We give over all of those who've maligned us, betrayed us, abandoned us, abused us, and hurt us. We put them in your hands, at your mercy, and as subjects of your judgment and not ours.
Because the king, we, those who will reign with you, shall rejoice in God. All who swear by him shall exalt in him, and we choose to do so even in the face of this type of pain, relational pain. For the mouths of liars will be stopped, and we take great comfort that you will right every wrong. We may sit as children at your feet as you mete out justice as you see fit. We choose to trust you again today. Would you pour out your spirit into our hearts and minds afresh? Would you give us the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, to your glory and for the sake of a lost and dying world? In Jesus' name, amen.