Proclaiming Christ ... For His Glory ... For Your Good

Oh God, You Are My God

‘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.
Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
Because Your lovingkindness is better that life,
My lips will praise You.
So I will bless You as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.

Psalm 63:1-5

Have you ever thought of God in these terms?  Is He your God?  Do you thirst for Him?  Do you yearn for Him?  Is His lovingkindness to you better than life itself?  Are you satisfied by God?  Maybe you have never thought of God in these terms.  David, in this Psalm, expresses his desire for God using very vivid language.

When you read the words of David, you certainly do not close your eyes and envision an individual who encounters God casually or haphazardly.  Rather, you picture a person who pursues God, who hungers for God, who sees God as his all consuming passion.  David reveals himself as one who finds his delight in God and can’t help but erupting into worship.

David’s Psalm should be the perspective of every member of the human race.  Yet, this is far from reality.  Too often human beings, though created in the image of God, despise anything to do with God.  They sneer at His law.  They serve themselves rather than their Creator.  They praise ungodliness.  God is laughed at rather than passionately pursued.  How tragic.

Calvin, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, stated, ‘. . .unless <people> establish their complete happiness in <God>, they will never give themselves truly and sincerely to Him.’  His words are as true today as they were in 1559.  Your true and lasting happiness will only be found in God.  When you delight in God and find Him all satisfying you will eagerly serve Him.  You will honor His Word by living obediently, not with a questioning spirit but with a joyful spirit.

God is worthy of all our devotion and delight.  Seek Him.  Serve Him.  In so doing, you will find that you are fulfilling your purpose in life – to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised!

Doug Richey, Pastor-Teacher