Longing For God

O God, you are my God;

I earnestly search for you.

My soul thirsts for you;

my whole body longs for you

in this parched and weary land

where there is no water. Psalm 63:1

DAVID IS THE KING OF JUDAH, but he’s not sleeping in his own bed in the palace in Jerusalem. He’s sleeping in a cave out in the wilderness, on the run from “those plotting to destroy” him (verse 9). And what really hurts is that those who want to kill him are led by his own son. The son he loves is not just alienated from him, but hostile toward him.

So what does David do? He prays. Psalm 63 is David’s prayer addressed not just to God but to his God. And interestingly, it is not protection from Absalom nor victory over Absalom nor reconciliation with Absalom that he asks his God for. It is the nearness of God and satisfaction in God that David longs for. He thinks about the presence of God that came down to dwell among his people in the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle. That is the presence he wants to know out in the wilderness.

In the midst of incredible difficulty, David’s eyes are focused not on his circumstances, but on the glory of God he has seen at the Tabernacle. When his life is being threatened, he doesn’t grasp for survival. Instead, he’s convinced that God’s “unfailing love is better than life itself” (verse 3). He’s not busy orchestrating a defensive or offensive plan, but is lifting his hands up to God in prayer. He’s not lying awake worrying about what might happen but is lying awake thinking about God and all of the benefits of belonging to him. He is not clinging to his title or his privilege or his plans but instead is clinging to God, confident that the Lord has taken hold of him and is holding him securely.

When we are at odds with our kids or worried about our kids, it can feel as if we are in a parched and weary land where there is no water. David shows us where to turn, what to do, and whom to long for. We turn to our God and lift up our hands to him in prayer, telling him how much we need him.

Lord, because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely.