“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; (2) To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.” (Psalms 63:1-2)

We all have been in a dry or desert place at one point or another. In those places it seems as if there is little hope. When it seems as if the cares of this life are weighing heavily upon us, what do we do? The writer of this Psalm, David, was faced with a life-threatening crisis when he penned this Psalm; he was running for his life from Saul, who sought to kill him. The Wilderness of Judah was his hiding place. It is in these wilderness experiences that we may feel lonely and solitary, desolate and afflicted, wanting, wandering and unsettled, and quite at a loss what to do. But we have an example of what to do, for David has left us one. Let’s review:

Verse 1: “O God, thou art my God…” Relationship and an active faith will be seen in these two verses.

We can find comfort when in a wilderness state, knowing that our God is there to comfort us.

(2 Corinthians 1:3-4) “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;  (4)  Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”

In these moments, when we have experienced the comfort of God, we can then say:

“…early will I seek thee” How is your prayer life?

(Psalms 5:3) “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.”

(Psalms 55:17) “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.”

It is our prayer life which defines our relationship with God. If we profess that God is our God, how intimate is our relationship? How often do we commune with God in a day?

If we have a stedfast prayer life, then like the Psalmist, we can say:

“…my soul (mind, will, and emotions) thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is”

How much do we desire God?

(Psalms 42:1-2a) “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. (2)  My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God…”

(Job 23:12b) “…I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food…”

How great is your desire to seek after God? Are your thirsty for Him?

Verse 2: “To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.” An active faith of expectancy.

David here speaks of a first-hand experience. He has seen the Power and the Glory of God manifested in his own life as well as in the lives of others. Now, David wants to experience this same Power and Glory in the wilderness.

Conclusion: when our prayer life is stedfast, we will have a close and intimate relationship with God, whereby we can call Him in the personal: “my God.” In those moments when we seek after Him with our whole heart, with great desire, a manifestation of His Power and Glory can be experienced by us when we are in our wilderness state.

I encourage you to seek the Lord.