A Road Map for Life | Remembering Our Redeemer Sample

THE PURSUIT OF A LIFETIME (Psalm 63)

I wonder sometimes if, when we seek God in prayer, we aren’t more interested in getting out of our circumstances than into God’s presence. We pray more for relief than for His presence.

David was running for his life in Judah, being hunted like an animal or a common criminal. You would think the great cry of his heart might be, “Get me out of this mess and out of this wilderness.” Instead, he had a very different cry.

Verses 1-4: “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; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.”

I love this. He was doing the same thing in the wilderness that he would have done in the city, which is worshipping God. He could not be in the temple because he was hiding in a cave somewhere.

Aren’t you glad that God is everywhere and you can worship Him no matter where you are? No matter what is against you at this moment, you can lift up holy hands and give God praise and glory.

Verses 5-8: “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.”

I have marked in my Bible three phrases from these verses: “my soul thirsteth” in verse 1; “my soul shall be satisfied” in verse 5; and “my soul followeth hard after thee” in verse 8.

What is your soul after today? What would satisfy your soul at this moment? Is your soul pursuing God or something else?

Verses 9-11: “But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes. But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.”

David was saying here that although certain people were pursuing him, in the end, they would not get what they were looking for. He, on the other hand, pursued God.

“If you pursue anything less than God, you will ultimately be disappointed.”

But if your life’s main pursuit is the Lord’s presence, that is a pursuit worth continuing. All along that journey, you will get to know Him in a greater way — more intimately, more personally, and more wonderfully every day until Heaven opens up you someday and you enter into His presence for all eternity.

I am reminded of the final verse of Psalm 23. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”

David’s goal was not Jerusalem. It was God. David’s greatest desire was not to get out of the wilderness; it was to get into God’s presence.

If we have a goal of anything less than God, our goal is not right. That goal may be good or justifiable. It may be humanly realistic. But if it is anything less than God’s glory or presence, it is an unworthy goal.

Here is a practical thought to help us apply Psalm 63 and keep pursuing the Lord.

He deserves our undivided attention and affection early. It is not clear whether the phrase “early will I seek thee” in verse 1 is a reference to early in life or early in the day, but both points are positive ones. Whether in life or in the morning, the earlier we focus on God, the better.

Notice the change in verse 6. “When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.”

It is interesting how David moved from the morning to evening, from the light to the darkness. He was living in a dark time in his life, perhaps even writing this as the shadows had fallen and darkness was encompassing his hiding place. We don’t know that for certain, but we can be sure that his circumstances were dark.

How do you stay right in the night? You have to meditate on the Lord, getting your attention on Him and remembering Him in those dark hours.

When you bring all of this together, there is a divine order here. If we begin our day meditation on Him and seeking Him early, it will help us at the end of the day to continue doing the same.

The Lord deserves the early hour of the day — the first fruits, if you will. He deserves the end of the day and everything in between. Every waking moment of our lives should belong to God. I believe Psalm 63 is a reminder that if we continue to seek the Lord in the most difficult hours of life, we will find everything we need.

This psalm opens much the same as Psalm 42, which begins, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?”

Both of these passages reflect a hunger and thirst for God. Are you hungry and thirsty after Him today? The Bible says in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

As a practical matter, a good way to start your day is by seeking the Lord early in the morning and entering into His presence so you can remain there all day. Then, when you come to the end of your day, remember Him by meditating on His goodness and faithfulness. Keep pursuing the Lord all the days of your life.

Someday, the pursuit will end at the nail-pierced feet of the Lord Jesus Christ, where we will bow in His presence and see Him face to face. We will worship Him, praise Him, and give Him glory. What a glorious day that will be - it could be today!

But until that day, we should keep pursuing, praising, worshipping, and blessing Him every day of our lives. Start early, and keep pursuing God all day and all night.