(Psalm 63:1-11) God, You are my God; I shall be watching for You;
My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,In a dry and exhausted land where there is no water.
2 So have I seen You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and glory.
3 Because Your favor is better than life,
My lips will praise You.
4 So I will bless You as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
5 My soul is satisfied as with fat and fatness,
And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.
6 When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches,
7 For You have been my help,
And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to You;
Your right hand takes hold of me.
9 But those who seek my life to destroy it,
Will go into the depths of the earth.
10 They will be turned over to the power of the sword;
They will be a prey for foxes.
11 But the king will rejoice in God;
Everyone who swears by Him will boast,
For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Recently, in the Bible study that I attend, we looked at the scripture passage where twelve-year-old Jesus cannot be found. The parents anxiously searched for Him over the course of three days. Until now, I've been a little perplexed by Jesus' response. I mean, it makes sense, but I just gleaned a little extra insight into this.
So often, we feel like the Lord isn't there. And if and when we search for Him, we can sometimes search in all the wrong places. Don't get me wrong, the Lord Jesus is God (part of the Trinity), and He is omnipresent, and always there for us. But are we going TO Him!? Do we really desire to BE in His presence? Or are we just selfishly hoping that God will cave in and tell us something like, "Oh yeah, what you are doing, the decisions that you are making, and the direction you are going in is good enough. I'll be there to help you 'do you'."
Following Jesus is an investment, but it is also a sacrifice. We are told to deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Jesus. This means that we realize our flesh and are infallible brains are going to lead us and steer us in the wrong direction. The definition of "insanity" is doing the same things and expecting a change. In this case, if we continue following our flesh, the change/s will only be for the worse. But when we follow Jesus, He changes things for us and in us - for the better!
"Swearing by Him" is not to say that we take His name in vain and flippantly use it as expletives. Swearing by Him is to give Him all the credit, to let people know that you have full confidence in the Lord, and you depend on Him for everything, because you KNOW that He is faithful and has your best interest in mind. And we can boast in Him because through Him we have victory over sin and have eternal life, and in the meantime, we can experience joy and contentment!
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