The Lord’s Refreshing Grace

1 O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly ; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. 4 So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. 6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, 7 For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. 8 My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me. 9 But those who seek my life to destroy it, Will go into the depths of the earth. 10 They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; They will be a prey for foxes. 11 But the king will rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him will glory, For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.   Psalm 63

We believe this psalm was written while David was in his time of wilderness wanderings. The imagery would seem to support that thought.

Have you ever felt that you were in a dry and parched land in a spiritual sense? What do we do in those times? Let’s look at three particular aspects of this psalm and see how God would speak to us in the difficult and dry times of life.

In the times of difficulty, we should desire God’s presence. Trials will either drive you closer to Christ or drive you away from His presence. Choose to run to Christ and seek His presence. This act will not make our circumstances better immediately. Pursuing God will allow us to experience God’s comfort and strength. 

In times of difficulty, we should delight in God’s power. David was far from Jerusalem and distant from all that was familiar to him. Yet, he choose to worship and praise God where he was. He knew God’s power was sufficient to carry him through no matter the trial or tribulation. May we be challenged to think deeply on God’s power all through the day and all through the night.

In times of difficulty, we should depend on God’s protection. David was probably running for his life at the time of this writing. He trusted in God’s power and protection nonetheless. He knew that God would vindicate him in the end. Dear Christian, we will be vindicated as well. There will come a time when all that we have believed will be proven to be true. Let us not shrink back in fear. God is our protection.

God’s power, His presence, and His protection are more than enough. May we rest in Him while we are in the spiritually dry and thirsty places. He will bring us through!

Tony French