🧠 Psalm 63:1 | Thirst, Be Satisfied, Cling

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📧 In today’s email…

• 👀 Did you notice the pattern in Psalm 63?

• 🔁 Thirst, be satisfied, cling

• 🤓 Quotes from Boice + Spurgeon

• 📚️ Resources to help you seek God earnestly

 🧠 Memorize

_{see if you know what words go in the blanks}

O God, ___ ___ __ ___; _________ _ ____ ___;

my soul _______ ___ ___;

my flesh faints for ___,

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

Psalm 63:1

👀 A pattern in Psalm 63: “My soul”

On Monday, we learned that David composed Psalm 63 while on the run for his life (either from his king or his son).

And yesterday, we learned 2 new Hebrew words:

• Part of earnestly (šāḥar) seeking God means to seek Him early in the day with a sense of eagerness

• When David says, “my soul thirsts for you,” he’s talking about desiring God’s presence with his entire being (nep̄eš)

Today, let’s look for a pattern.

If you read Psalm 63, you may have noticed a phrase repeat 3 times: my soul (our new vocab word, nep̄eš).

• v1: “My soul thirsts for you..”

• v5: “My soul will be satisfied..”

• v8: “My soul clings to you..”

Now, let’s see what we can learn from this repetition 👇️ 

💡 Repetition in the Bible often emphasizes the importance of a person, theme, or event. Next time you notice repetition, ask yourself what God might be emphasizing.

🌿 Thirst, be satisfied, cling

Let’s unpack the 3-part progression in Psalm 63, and look at principles we can draw from it.

1️⃣ First, David thirsts for God & his thirst drives him towards God.

So we have to recognize that we are thirsty and then seek God.

2️⃣ Then, David’s soul is satisfied.

David says his “soul will be satisfied.”

When?

When we seek God, He satisfies. He is the well that we drink from that quenches our thirst.

3️⃣ Lastly, David clings.

After we thirst for God’s presence and are satisfied in Him, we have the option to stay with Him!

💡 Tomorrow, we’ll see how Jesus picked up on the imagery of thirst and used it in multiple interactions throughout his ministry.

Apply & respond: Imaginative Prayer 🧠 

We just saw this progression in Psalm 63:

1. Recognize your thirst

2. Seek God earnestly

3. Be satisfied in His presence

4. Cling to Him (stay in his presence)

Practice

Set aside 5 minutes today to spend time alone with God in silence.

1. Slow your mind down by paying attention to your breath for 5 inhales and exhales.

2. Become aware of God’s presence with you. Ask Him to meet you and quiet your mind.

3. Visualize yourself just sitting in the presence of the Father.

4. Just be there for a few minutes. No words. No asking for things. Just a child enjoying the presence of a loving parent.

💡 If that was difficult, you’re not alone. Quieting the mind and becoming aware of God’s presence is something that takes practice. As you keep practicing, you’ll get better over time. It’s worth it!

Wisdom 🧐 

“Most people do not even know that it is God their souls truly desire. They are seeking satisfaction in other things.”

James Boice

“Learn from this, and do not say, ‘I will get into communion with God when I feel better,’ but long for communion now. It is one of the temptations of the devil to tell you not to pray when you do not feel like praying. Pray twice as much then.”

Charles Spurgeon

Recommended Resources 🎙️ 

Here are a few resources to help you dig deeper into this week’s passage:

• 📚️ Desiring God by John Piper (link here)

• 📚️ Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus. Become like him. Do as he did. by John Mark Comer (link here)

• 🎙️ Jon Tyson Sermon: ‘God Comes Where He’s Wanted’ (link here)

• 🎵 Psalm 63 by The Corner Room to help you meditate on this Psalm (listen on Spotify | listen on Apple Music)

Answer key ✅ 

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.

Psalm 63:1