My Soul Thirsts For You

For our first trip to Hawaii, we went first to the Big Island and then to Oahu. On the Big Island, I read that the Green Sand Beach was pretty albeit a little rough to get to. It was recommended that you have an off-road vehicle to get there, but if you did, you could basically drive right up to the cliff above the beach. We set out. Two of us spotted a sign that we thought said “Green Sand Beach.” We turned off the highway. It wasn’t even that rough of a drive to a big dirt parking lot with bathrooms. So far, so good. We could see the ocean, but the sand was not green.

We thought maybe it was a little up the shoreline. Googling it now, I can even see on the map where we parked that it says, “Green Sand Beach Trailhead.” We started walking. We walked and walked. No Green Sand Beach. We don’t mind hiking, and it was all relatively flat, but Hawaii is hot and humid almost every time of the year. We were in open sun. We had not expected to hike. We hadn’t worn good walking shoes. We didn’t bring sunscreen, and we didn’t bring much water. Turns out the hike was about 2.5 miles. Some wanted to turn back. Some kept blazing ahead. We finally made it and saw where you could actually drive right up to the cliff above the beach. The beach was beautiful. The sand was green, but we were all overheated, desperate for water (and we still had to hike back) and honestly, we were all a bit grumpy. Water never tasted so good as when we made it back to the air-conditioned car.

When David wrote Psalm 63, he was in the wilderness of Judah. He knew what it was to be hot, thirsty, tired. He uses the desert imagery to convey his spiritual condition.

O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You;

my soul thirst for You;

my flesh faints for You,

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary,

beholding Your power and glory.

Because Your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise You.

So I will bless You as long as I live;

in Your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,

and my mouth will praise You with joyful lips,

when I remember You upon my bed,

and meditate on You in the watches of the night;

for You have been my help,

and in the shadow of Your wings I will sing for joy.

My soul clings to You;

Your right hand upholds me.

We all experience wilderness times whether it is the loss of a loved one, loss of a job, depression, anxiety, a broken relationship, results of our own sin or the sin of someone else, family members who are rejecting Jesus, loneliness, ongoing health issues, feeling like we don’t fit in with those around us and so many other things. This past year with COVID, most have experienced a new wilderness they never imagined. We have friends and family in foreign countries that have gone through multiple, severe lockdowns. One family ministering in a foreign country has been allowed only one family member to leave the house in this past year. The other three have had to remain inside. It’s been a wilderness year for everyone.

Just like David, when we are in the wilderness, we are searching for something, usually some kind of change or relief, a way out of the wilderness. David searched for a Person. He searched for God. He searched for my God. David drew on that personal relationship he had with God. His faith in his God drove him to seek, to search. Note the graphic phrases he uses, “My soul thirsts for You; my flesh faints for You as in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (vs 1) and “My soul clings to You” (vs 8). In verse 6, we read that even at night when David should sleep, he was meditating on God. David’s search for God was impassioned, desperate, fierce. He was not sidetracked by his circumstances.

David was satisfied by beholding God’s power and glory (vs 2). He experienced God’s steadfast love that was better than life itself (vs 3). David compared this satisfaction to the most delicious, rich food he could eat. God’s presence far surpasses even the best meal. He remembered God’s past help and the safety of the shadow of God’s wings (vs 7). He was confident God would again act on his behalf. Despite what David was experiencing or even feeling, he clung to the truth he knew about God – God was still with him and God’s right hand would uphold him (vs 8).

The result was joyful praise (vs 3, 4, 5, 7). We don’t see in this Psalm that David had been delivered yet, but as he earnestly sought after God like a man desperate for water in the desert and clung to God and the truth he knew about God, he could praise God in the midst of his wilderness.

Reflection

1. I know when I am in the wilderness, I often seek after other things to bring me relief. For me, it is usually conversations in my head to “solve” the problem. I’m trusting myself not God. What do you seek after in your wilderness?

2. Do you think of God in this personal way, as my God? What difference would that make if you did?

3. I know reading David’s description of how he searches for God – his soul thirsting for God, his flesh fainting for God – may make us feel ashamed that we don’t feel that way. Are we less of a Christian? No, we are still God’s beloved children. Begin with praying that God would give you that mindset and heart to seek after Him with that same earnestness. Begin the morning with something even as simple as, “God I need You. Help me to see how much I need you today. Help me to behold your power, glory and steadfast love.” We are each different, but we can train ourselves to pull out our Bibles and read, stop and pray, listen to worship music, call or text a friend to pray for us or whatever else helps you shift your focus to God. One step at a time, we can develop a habit that turns into thirsting after God.

4. Whatever your wilderness is, stop and take time to praise God. God does not change, so we always have reasons to praise Him whether or not our circumstances change. A way to kick-off your praise is reading Psalm 63 and writing down all the “God is” truths. Then think of ways, even one, where you have seen God’s faithfulness and care in your wilderness.