In the Desert… Seek God
I want to take a look at Psalm 63 this week. David wrote this in a desert, and I think many of us know what it's like to be in a spiritual desert of sorts: when our soul is thirsty, the heat seems to get to us, we can't seem to find our way out, vultures are circling overhead.
Often in the Bible, God's people go through deserts, and as we watch them walk their desert roads, we learn lessons in how to walk ours. In Psalm 63, the first thing we see David doing in the desert is seeking God. Listen to verse 1: "You, God, are my God," David says, "earnestly I seek You."
Finding God in Life's Desert Seasons
Notice his personal connection to God here. "You're my God!" For him this is not just religion. It's not just ritual. It's not just church on a Sunday. God is his God, and so he seeks God earnestly.
He wants to be close to God. He wants to see God's face and feel God's presence!
In a desert, this is what we need most isn't it? A companion! Someone to walk with and talk with! I know the old hymn says that it's "in the garden alone..." that He "walks with me and He talks with me...", but know this, He does it in the desert too! But you have to seek Him because the sandstorms and the heat can obscure your vision of God when you're in the desert. You need to earnestly seek Him, or else you're going to get the feeling that He's not there.
Growing in Spiritual Maturity Through Seeking God
Shereen and I welcomed a new little kitten into our family last year. Her name is Hope. She keeps us most entertained!
In those first months with her in the house, she really wanted to be close to us. Sometimes she'd potter around playing with a ball or something, and then she'd suddenly realise that we weren't close, and she'd start crying and pacing around looking for us. And then when she saw one of us, she'd get real happy and purr like a tractor.
But now she's getting older. And much of the time she ignores us and tries hard to pretend she doesn't really want anything to do with us. Until she wants something to eat of course! Then she has a lot to say!
I thought to myself – this is so often the way of faith. When we are baby Christians, new to the love of Jesus, we seek Him earnestly. When we start to feel that we've drifted, we run back to Him immediately! We so deeply want to have that closeness with Him and so when we lose sight of Him, we quickly look for Him to get Him back in the centre of our lives.
But as we get older as Christians, we can get complacent. We become more content to just do our own thing. Soon we are not seeking Him anymore, except when we want something.
David, in his desert seeks God. Like a kitten! He earnestly seeks the One He loves. Later in the Psalm, we get a glimpse into how David does this. Verse 6 says: "On my bed I remember You; I think of You through the watches of the night."
How earnestly are we seeking God? Taking the time to talk to Him and think of Him?
If you’re in a desert, there's nothing more encouraging than seeking hard after God, and finding Him to be there with you as you walk along.
