Desert Wandering 

Psalm 63

1 A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. 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.

2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,

beholding your power and glory.

3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.

4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.

5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,

6 when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

9 But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth;

10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.

Psalm 63 thoughts

Verse 1 

David was wandering in the wilderness of Judeah a dry and weary land where there is no water, sounds like a desert?

Matthew 4:1 — Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Curious similarities wouldn't you say? The shadow (David) of the one who would come (Jesus) going through a similar experience.

Coincidence?

Interestingly David doesn't mention thirst, in verse five he sees his soul being satisfied with fat and rich foods. I'd say he's hungry, what do you think?

Matthew 4:2 — And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 

Also interesting is that Jesus isn't recorded as being thirsty either. When your the living water, you can patiently wait for a Samaritan women to fill her bucket before asking for a drink too.

Verse 2

David recalls meeting with GOD in his Sanctuary and beholding his power and glory. It helps to sustain him in the dry and thirsty land. Conversely Jesus also recalls and continually lives in the deep relationship that he has with the Father and Holy Spirit. In John 17:5 — And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

He knows and remembers this state of being.

 

When you remember the times you've been in the presence of GOD it will help you when your traveling through those dry weary life moments.

Verse 3

GOD's steadfast love is better than life because when this life is done his steadfast love can give those who trust in Jesus everlasting eternal life. 

Jesus tells us in John 11:25 — Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

Verse 4

Flowing from verse three we can praise him now (this life) and forever more (eternal life). 

Revelation 7:12 — saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Verse 5

David is thinking about fat and rich food in a dry and thirsty land, a desert. Jesus is the bread of life, he is "the bread" that came down from heaven. 

John 6:51 — I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

John 4:33-34 So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

When the Devil tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness he met the second Adam who was accomplishing the will of GOD. The Devil asked Jesus to do something as a display of his power and authority (Turn stones into food). In the immortal words of Bugs Bunny,

 "He don't know me very well do he?" 

You can almost see the angels waiting in the wings (LOL yeah in the wings, but not having wings. see Matt 4:11) them face palming 😮🤦‍♂️ to the Devil's temptation.

Verse 6

Have you ever been frustrated by the fact your awake in the watches of the night? My suggestion to you is to follow David's example. Meditate on GOD's word, on your bed. I've had some of my most enjoyable experiences with the Holy Spirit at 3 am in the morning. Time spent with Jesus is never a waste of time. Redeem the time, even in the sleepless watches of the night.

Verse 7

GOD is our help, Jesus is our help, the Holy Spirit is our helper. 

John 16:7 — Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

The answer to the Beatles "HELP" song is the Holy Spirit.

Help! I need somebody,       - Holy Spirit 

Help! Not just anybody,        - Holy Spirit 

Help! You know I need someone, 

Help!                                        - Holy Spirit 

You won't just be singing for Help! You'll be singing for Joy.

Verse 8 

How does the mortal put on immortality?

How does a created soul live for eternity?

1 Corinthians 15:53 — For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

The Psalmist explains it this way, If your soul clings to the author of life and you are upheld by those nail scarred hands, he clothes you in immortality.

Verse 9 

"Those who seek to destroy my life" - David said they would go down to the depths of the earth. There was those that sought David's life and he was a shadow of Jesus. The Devil sought his life and we know there is a chain and a place in Sheol prepared for him.

Revelation 20:1-3 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pitfn and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

Verses 10-11

Jesus will defeat the great liar with the sword of his mouth (see Revelation 19:15 — From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty)

 and fire (see Revelation 20:9-10 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heavenfn and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.. 

The liars and the prince of liars will have his mouth shut forever.

Revelation 12:10 — And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

My prayer is that we would lean on the Holy Spirit at all times especially when we are in those dry and thirsty lands of our lives. We will have all the water we need, "the water of life" - John 14:4 and we will also be well fed - John 6:51. Thank you Holy Spirit, in Jesus name amen.