Thirsting for God in Parched Places

3/2/2023

"My soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water."

Psalm 63:1

Thirsting for God

…

The Insatiable Desire of the Soul

Psalm 63 was written by David in one of those rare times he was chased out of Jerusalem.

He didn’t have the comforts of his pillows or his bedding. He had been separated from his family and the most beloved people in his life. He could not partake of the sumptuous delicacies of the royal buffet.

Every comfort and blessing he may have treasured had vanished, except for one.

In the wilderness, you meet with a lot of hardship. It is a place of sadness and grief. David could have been pining about all that he had lost. He could have written a song which talked about his thirst for the wine that used to fill his favorite golden chalice. He had a chance to hit the top 40 billboard hits by writing about his long lost wife and her love.

But he did not yearn for such things. His one desire transcended this earth. He had an insatiable craving for God.

In the dreary times of our life, there’s much we could complain about. We could focus on what we don’t have. We could lament the hostility that surrounds us or grip about how inhospitable our environment is. O that Calgon would take me away!

Yet these are the times that we must realize that our soul’s thirst transcends what this world can afford. The earthly joys and pleasures that we do experience are only satisfying in so far as they serve our enjoyment of Christ.

Recently I spoke at a nursing home. Some faithful people had gathered for some singing and to hear God’s word. Some of these people had lost their spouse. They had moved away from homes that contained a lifetime of memories. They had, as it were, lost certain pieces of their lives.

While there’s no doubt that the nursing home still afforded them many luxuries, they found in the songs and ministry of preaching something greater than what their insurance policy could afford them. They had a thirst for God and they longed for him.

Their lives were illustrative of Christ’s very life. In his incarnation, he entered a wilderness. This world was his dry and weary land. Yet in his sufferings he feasted. He had a constant inclination for the Father. And even when he was at the gates of hell, he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!”

My God. He might have been forsaken, but he had not forsaken his God. He still thirsted deeply for Him and reached out for Him.

In doing so he proved to be the Greater David; a Redeemer who would open the way for us to turn towards God and truly begin to yearn for him as we ought.

subscribe to the hopewell weekly

What is Reformed Theology?
Want to explore some of what makes Hopewell distinct? Then join RC Sproul as he highlights some of the basics of Reformed theology. Explore the Sola’s of the Reformation, the 5 Points of Calvinism, the Sovereignty of God, and the concept of God’s covenant.

Watch Now