496_Satisfied fully in God

Psalm 63 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.

There’s a story about a man named Nicholas Herman, a 17th-century French soldier who later became a Carmelite monastery worker. We know him today as Brother Lawrence. He was assigned to the kitchen, often doing mundane tasks like peeling potatoes and scrubbing pots. Yet in those very moments of ordinary drudgery, he discovered that he experienced the presence of God not only in church or in moments of ecstasy but in every hour, in every breath, in every dish washed. He wrote, “We should establish ourselves in a sense of God’s presence, by continually conversing with Him.” For Brother Lawrence, God was not another of life’s compartments, but its very center. In Him, he was fully satisfied.

Psalm 63 echoes this deep contentment. It is not the psalm of a man ruling in a palace or reclining in luxury. It comes from the desolate wilderness of Judah. David was in one of his periods of exile—either during Saul’s reign, or perhaps during Absalom’s rebellion. Stripped of comfort, security, and companionship, his soul still sings with joy as he remembers God, his power, and love.

“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.” Thirst is a terrible thing in a land without water. This is how David felt when surrounded by wickedness and unfaithfulness. In response, his mind and heart leapt to the God he had seen in the sanctuary – the God of power and glory, the God of steadfast love. He knew that this thirst could be satisfied only with the presence and the salvation of God.

Truly, nothing in the world can satisfy the deepest hunger of the soul. The desire for meaning and significance cannot be filled with entertainment, relationships, achievements, or even ministry. As C.S. Lewis observed, “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”

And David’s soul, longing and dry, is answered. “So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.” In the dryness of human relationships, where people are too weak or too wicked to provide us with the love that we are so desperately in need of, David sees God’s steadfast love. This is no temporary refreshment, but a love that, in his words, is better than life itself. Better than breath, better than health, better than family or victory or restoration—God’s faithful, covenant love satisfies David’s deepest desires and fills him with delight. He knows he is safe under God’s protecting wings. And so he worships.

We often look for satisfaction in life improvements—in a better job, in healthier relationships, or in success. But David’s satisfaction was real – though he was still in the wilderness, still pursued by his enemies, still distant from comfort. And yet he says, “My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.”

This is no dry, reluctant acknowledgment of God. This is not a half-hearted quiet time or a forced song on Sunday. David is feasting on the realization and memory of God’s love. He is entirely satisfied, with a heart full of joy. His soul, previously fainting with thirst, now sings with the contentment of a rich banquet.

And when the night comes and sleep eludes him—when anxiety creeps in and fears threaten—his thoughts still revolve around God. “When I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night…” His heart is at rest because his soul clings to the Lord. “Your right hand upholds me,” he says. David is not holding on with white knuckles, trying to keep from falling. It is God who holds him. And no one can pluck him out of that safe grasp.

As for those who seek his life, God’s justice will overtake them. They will not prevail, they will fall. This is not a vengeful curse but a plain statement of fact, because God is just. Those who oppose God’s plan and authority cannot succeed in overturning his purposes. Their rebellion against David, in this case, was not just against a man, but against the purposes of God Himself.

David doesn’t waste any time gloating over his enemies’ downfall. He ends instead with confidence and joy: “But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.”

This is the song of one who rejoices in God. More than rejoicing in blessings, more than the satisfaction of vindication and eventual rescue, God’s love brings colour back into life, hope and joy back into the business of living.

It’s tempting to think that if our situation changed, we could be joyful. If the problems disappeared, if our health improved, if relationships were restored, then we would be satisfied. Rather, the presence of God is what fills our hearts with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

When we feel that we are in a desert of isolation, pressure, disappointment, or fear, let us remember God’s constant love. When we feel like running from constant pain or anxiety or opposition, let us accept the invitation this psalm holds out to us. Let us satisfy our souls with God’s power and glory, exerted for our good.

Let us seek Him, not casually or occasionally, but as David did—earnestly. Let our thirst guide us to him. Let our hearts cling to him. Let his love be the theme on which our hearts run day and night. Let our weariness cause us to rest under the protection of his wings. And then we will constantly rejoice in worship, for we will find, as David found, that God is enough. More than enough. His love is better than life.

Brother Lawrence, working in that kitchen centuries ago, discovered this secret. David, in a desert, discovered it too. Whether in hardship or abundance, we can know the same joy. We can say with David, not out of ritual or pressure, but from real experience: “My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food.”

When we seek righteousness, humility, and the presence of God—as Zephaniah 2:3 exhorts us—we will be hidden in the day of trouble. We will find refuge. We will find joy in his presence, in the midst of the wilderness. And he will deliver us. God bless.