Psalm 63:1-8 (NRSV)
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Verse 1O God, you are my God, 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.
Verse 2So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
Verse 3Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
Verse 4So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
Verse 5My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
Verse 6when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
Verse 7for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
Verse 8My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
Devotion
This time it is the psalmist who reminds us of the critical importance of water. As for the prophet Isaiah, the thirst of the soul is as important for the psalmist as is the thirst of the body. And in a dry and weary land where there is no water, the thirst of the soul is perhaps surprisingly more easily satisfied because "your love is better than life."
God’s steadfast love draws forth the psalmist’s unending praise. Even in the watches of the night—those times and occasions when we may be more susceptible to doubt and worry, those moments when things look hopeless and even despair is close at hand—even then, God’s steadfast love and the memory of being sheltered in the shadow of God’s wings can become an occasion for meditation which replaces fear and leads to joy and thanksgiving. Even in a dry and weary land, the presence and love of God upholds us.
Prayer
Loving God, thank you for providing shelter in both our sorrows and celebrations. Amen.