Psalm 63:1 - The Fuel of Life.
Psa.63:1; The Fuel of Life.
Psa 63:1 (KJV) O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee:
my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and
thirsty land, where no water is;
Psa 63:1 (CWB) O Lord, you are my God. Early each day I will
seek you. My soul longs to be in your presence. My whole being
thirsts for you as if I were in a desert without water.
You were created in the image and likeness of God. You were made
for God's fellowship and your heart can never be satisfied without
His communion. Just as iron is attracted to a magnet, the soul in
its state of hunger is drawn to God. Though you, like thousands of
others, may feel in the state of sin that the world is more alluring and
more to your liking, some day - perhaps even now as you read these
words - you will acknowledge that there is something deep down inside
you which cannot be satisfied by the alloy of earth. Then with
David, the Psalmist who had sampled the delicacies of sin and had found
them unsatisfying you will say, "Oh God, you are my God; early will I
seek you: my soul thirsteth for you, my flesh longs for you in a dry
and thirsty land, where there is no water." (From Day by Day with
Billy Graham by Joan W. Brown) [Inspirational SB]
The meaning here is, that he would seek God as the first thing
in the day; first in his plans and purposes; first in all things.
He would seek God before other things came in to distract and
divert his attention; he would seek God when he formed his plans for
the day, and before other influences came in, to control and direct
him. The favor of God was the supreme desire of his heart, and that
desire would be indicated by his making him the earliest-- the first--
object of his search. His first thoughts-- his best thoughts--
therefore, he resolved should be given to God. A desire to seek God as the
first object in life-- in youth-- in each returning day-- at the
beginning of each year, season, month, week-- in all our plans and
enterprises-- is one of the most certain evidences of true piety; and religion
flourishes most in the soul, and flourishes only in the soul, when we make
God the first object of our affections and desires. (Barnes' Notes)
Early will I seek thee. The true Christian devotes to God the
morning hour. He opens the eyes of his understanding with those of his
body, and awakes each morning to righteousness. He arises with a
thirst after those comforts which the world cannot give, and has
immediate recourse by prayer to the Fountain of the water of life. The
true believer is convinced, that nothing in this sinful world can
satisfy the wants and desires of his soul; he expects his happiness from
God, as his portion. When faith and hope are most in exercise, the
world appears a weary desert, and the believer longs for the joys of
heaven, of which he has some foretastes in the ordinances of God upon
earth. [Matthew Henry Commentary mod]
What first lays hold of the heart in the morning is likely to
occupy the place all the day. First impressions are the most durable,
because there is not a multitude of ideas to drive them out, or prevent
them from being deeply fixed in the moral feeling. (Adam Clarke
Commentary)
Hiding from his enemies in the barren Desert of Judah, David was
intensely lonely. He longed for a friend he could trust to ease his
loneliness. No wonder he cried out, "O God, . . . my soul thirsts for you, .
. . in a dry and weary land." If you are lonely or thirsty for
something lasting in your life, remember David's prayer. God alone can
satisfy our deepest longings! [Life Application SB]
Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very
first work. Let your prayer be, "Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I
lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide
with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee." This is a daily
matter. Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender
all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His
providence shall indicate. Thus day by day you may be giving your life into
the hands of God, and thus your life will be molded more and more
after the life of Christ. SC70
Awareness that God is "my God" is the foundation of a living
faith. But to experience the full benefits of our faith we need to move
beyond awareness to intimacy.... If you and I wish to experience God in a
deeply personal way as "my God," we need to follow David's lead. By
taking every opportunity to turn our thoughts to Him and to praise Him,
that same sense of God's living presence which sustained David will
sustain you and me. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
|
|
