O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you,

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

2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.

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

4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.

5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

6 On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.

7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. Psalms 63:1-8 (NIV).

David, the man after God’s own heart, in Psalms 63 expresses a deep thirst for God. Graphically, he relates his thirst for God to a thirsty person in a dry land, looking for water to quench his thirst.

The psalmist profoundly desired God’s presence, love, power, and glory more than anything else. Though overwhelmed by his enemies he chose not to lament over his despondency but to express confidence in God, the source of his satisfaction. God is the object of his affection; the right and effective antidote to his present predicament. In God, his soul will be satisfied “as with the richest foods”. It is clear that the psalmist never thirsted for God out of envy for power and glory; but he wanted to experience God himself.

We live in a world that constantly beckons us to obey our “thirsts”. And for clarity, sometimes our thirsts are good and in line with God’s will, but many times they are not good. So how can we thirst for God in a time/generation were there are many “thirsts” to obey?

One thing that for sure we need to understand is, our longings should be what God can delight in satisfying. For he promises, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matt. 5:6).

Secondly, we should learn to desire God alone and the things he has revealed in his Word as noble and praiseworthy. As a Christian, desire to be filled of God, to do his will, to be led of God; desire to be like him, and to have an intimate relationship with God. Also, desire to set your heart on things above where Christ is seated; and to see the revelation of his kingdom. In your spiritual walk, desire to lead a holy life, to be used of him; desire to decrease as He increases in you. Likewise, desire to have a deeper experience of God’s love because his love is “better than life”.

Desiring God is the first step towards knowing and enjoying Him. Desire. Desire. Desire.

May God be the priceless pearl that you tirelessly seek; you singular desire; may he be at the center of your longings. For he promises to fill your desires with glorious riches; “for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things” (Ps. 107:90).