“O God,
you are my God, I seek you,
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 (NRSV)
An authentically soulful desperation
mixed with tones of unbridled joy, complete with a twist of awe, and sensual
grace beyond words: that’s the essence of Psalm 63—a Lament of the Individual;
“of David.”
When we feel despondent, we take
this Psalm deep into our prayer closet and breathe the imagery of the word
concepts into our souls. We meditate on David as he would have written and
lived it.
Reflective Yet Affirmative In Mood
The language of praise in this
psalm is reminiscent of a lover trawling over his or her betrothed—there is no
sight for another despite the beloved. Verses 1-8 drip with complete monogamous
faithfulness; an intimacy unmatched.
Yet, reflectiveness is no blasé,
disconnected or morally deficient quality in this Psalm. The marker of reflection here is intentional,
focused, and unswerving. This king is
besotted with his King!
A desperate situation has brought
David to affirm, with fervour, his allegiance to the Lord.
A Hint Of Lament
Verses 9-10 offer the slightest
taint of the occasion of this prayer—after all it was a stark wilderness
experience David was encountering.
But the allusion of lament, here,
is almost silenced by the deafening glory of God manifest in David’s proper infatuation
with God.
Verse 11 retains the faithful
refrain: “But the king shall rejoice in God...”
God will shut the mouths of liars. Trust in God is unstinting.
Satisfied Of Soul
The psalmist, and we—if we partake
in the wondrous grace of the Father in Jesus’ sanctifying name—is beyond the
biting reality of life that undoes us.
Life is no less painful or frustrating.
But the satisfaction of soul we gain in having accessed healing
means we have a Sanctuary to bay in any time we like.
Indeed, we long for this Sanctuary.
God has literally ‘filled’ the
psalmist up; beyond wanting or needing anything else. He’s experienced the saving grace of the God in
the manner of actual life (verse 7a) and it goes beyond his fear.
We imagine, also, the psalmist
woken of a night-time; he’s rested, even in troubling fatigue, to roll thoughts
of God around the mind at 2, 3, and 4 A.M.
To meditate upon God is the first thought at these times where tiredness
prevails over sleep (verse 6).
Often in our post-postmodern lives
we’re given to boredom, and hence discomfort, when we stand still. This psalm is for the person who’s been made
real to themselves, and who’s perfectly comfortable without a single thing
besides God. This is something we ought
to aspire for: “God’s steadfast love is better than life” (verse 3a).
***
God’s love is better than life.
When God becomes our all-consuming focus, we get beyond the trappings of the
world. Then praise sweeps us off our spiritual feet. God’s love is bigger than
life.
© 2012 S. J. Wickham.
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