Reflections on Psalm 63
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.
1 You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory. 3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. 4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. 5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night. 7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. 8 I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.9 Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth. 10 They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals.11 But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God will glory in him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced.Psalm 63 is an emotional psalm written out of the depts of the heart of David.
He was fleeing for his life, either from Saul (1 Samuel 23:14-15; 24:1) or during the rebellion of Absalom (1 Samuel 15:23,28; 16:2). David was on the run, yet he sang and rejoiced “in the shadow of Your wings”. Two times in the psalm David spoke of his lips uttering joyful praise.
What helped him delight in the Lord under those circumstances:
1. He recalled his past experiences of the strength and glory of YHWH in His sanctuary.
2. His soul thirsted for more of YHWH. He longed to enter the sanctuary of YHWH, to worship Him and experience His power and glory.
3. He repeatedly ended his psalm with the full confidence that YHWH was going to answer his prayers and show mercy to him. David knew beyond a shadow of doubt that he would be protected against his enemies. YHWH’s righteous justice and judgment will be on the wicked.
As we journey through life and encounter all the challenges, problems, injustices, attacks of the enemy, and life-threatening situations, may this psalm show us how to continue to delight in the Lord always. Psalm 63 is very relevant for worshippers in their ‘wilderness’ to know that the loving-kindness of YHWH is worth more than life itself.
Rev. Timothy Ewing-Chow
