Satisfied In God’s Love - Can I Be Satisfied?

“O God, you are my God; earnestly 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.

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.”

(Psalm 63:1-8,ESV)

David was a man on the run. When he wrote Psalm 63, he was seeking refuge in the desert of Judah, fleeing from people who sought his life. As he surveyed the unforgiving land, it was not his need for food or water that became the subject of his cries, but the intense thirst of his soul. More than having his physical needs met, David was desperate for God.

The Christian life is full of desert seasons—times when your hopes seem to shrivel under the scorching heat of trials. Seasons when you’re thirsty for encouragement that feels nonexistent. Seasons of spiritual drought that make you wonder if the rain will ever come again. David knew that the steadfast love of the Lord is the nourishment our hungry souls need. The unfailing, unwavering, ever-committed love of God for us is better than life itself. God’s love is water for our fainting souls.

What do we do when we find ourselves in the wilderness? David offers a model we can follow. When our souls are thirsty, we can remember, praise, and believe.

Remember. When David’s soul was parched, he remembered the satisfying love of the Lord. He recalled the joy of beholding God’s power and glory as he joined in worship with his brothers and sisters in the temple (verse2). He called to mind the ways the Lord helped him, protected him, and held him, and he meditated on God’s character as he lay awake at night (verses6-8). When you walk through a dry season and hope is hard to come by, remember. Remember what God has done, remember his presence with you in the past, and remember how you’ve rejoiced in his love.

Praise. David remembered God’s faithfulness in the past to praise him in the present. His steadfast love was a reason to bless the Lord, to praise him, and to lift up his hands in worship (verses2-3). Even as David fled from pursuers and hid in the desert, he sang for joy because he rested in the Lord’s shelter (verse7). No matter how severe your circumstances become, the Lord’s character remains the same, and there is always a reason to praise him.

Believe. When you remember God’s past faithfulness and praise him in the present, your confidence for the future is strengthened. David believed in God’s enduring faithfulness and had faith that God would satisfy his longing soul. David didn’t hesitantly acknowledge that God would meet his basic needs; he declared with certainty that God would satisfy the hunger of his soul with abundance. The steadfast love of the Lord would be to David like rich food (verse5)—a feast for his weary soul.

If you trust in Christ, the better-than-life love of God is yours. When your soul is parched, seek the Lord earnestly. You will be satisfied. Remember his love, praise him for his goodness, and believe in the future promise of unending satisfaction.

Reflect:

Spend time in prayer as you respond to this text, using the pattern in Psalm 63:

Remember. Think back on how you’ve seen the Lord’s faithfulness in your life. Thank him for the way he has shown his steadfast love to you. When have you delighted in him?

Praise. Praise God for who he is and what he’s done.

Believe. Ask God to increase your faith in his ability to satisfy you.