Quiet time files 041809*

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.
Psalms 63:1 (ESV)

One of the things I most love about this year's chronological Bible reading plan is the way that it intersperses the Psalms David wrote with the narrative in other books of the events happening in his life when he wrote them. You have an open door into David's heart as he journeys from being a shepherd boy, youngest in his family, to being the God anointed King of Israel.

Things were not going well for David when he wrote the psalm referenced above. His son Absalom led a revolt, seducing the hearts of the people and marching his troops toward Jerusalem. Rather than put the people in the city at risk, David and his forces fled. For the whole sordid story, read 2 Samuel 14 - 19.

In spite of the dire circumstances, David does not lose heart, does not abandon his faith. If anything, he realizes more keenly how much he needs the Lord:

Earnestly I seek you - With sincerity of heart, with all affection and desire for blessing, David runs after God, pursuing Him wholeheartedly.

My soul thirsts for you - As he cannot live for long without water, so David cannot live without the Lord, without the constant cleansing, refreshment and soothing of His presence.

My flesh faints for you - God alone is his true nourishment, He alone provides strength, makes him stand. Without Him, he cannot go on.

Dear Heavenly Father, Grow in me a faith like David's, one that does not falter no matter how exigent the circumstances. Let me truly seek after You, yearn for You, faint for You.

In Jesus' name, Amen

*If you remember, dates are taken from the chronological reading - click the link at the right, then click on the date to show the full passages for that day. I keep current on the readings, but it takes some editing to get my personal journal reflections ready for publication here (neither you nor I are ready for me to simply post my unedited thoughts) and I've not had much time to put any up recently. Expect a few catch-up posts after this, then, God willing, at least one quiet times files post per week.