Thirsting for God

Andrew Slay

Stand Alone • Sermon • Submitted 4 months ago • Presented 4 months ago

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Introduction

Good morning Westwood Family.

Its always a blessing and privilege to get the opportunity to proclaim God’s word to you. . . and this morning. . . I hope you brought your fork and knife. . . because we are fixing to to feast on God and his word together. . . so grab your Bible and turn with me to Psalm 63 as we all think together on the subject of Thirsting for God.

As we wrap up the end of 2023 today. . . I want you to reflect on what has satisfied your heart this year?

What has your soul longed for?

What has your body hungered for?

For some of you, 2023 has been a great year. . . for your career, your family, your finances. . . but yet it still does not seem to be enough.

Kids and students, maybe you were given everything you wanted this Christmas, but it still was not enough.

I think oftentimes there is still an empty hole in all of our hearts that we just simply cannot seem to fill. . . and the reason we cannot fill this hole is because we are trying to fill it with the all the wrong things.

Israel also sought satisfaction in other things besides the Lord. . . and God responded to their idolatry through the prophet Jeremiah and said. . .

“my people have committed two evils: They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns that can hold no water.”

If God is the fountain of living water, then why is it that we thirst after other things besides him?

If you can relate to any of these struggles to find satisfaction in God, then Psalm 63 is for you this morning.

In Psalm 63 God will give us the answer to our longing to be satisfied and content in God. . . for in this psalm the Lord will teach us that. . .

If we thirst for God, He will satisfy us with his steadfast love.

Kids, if you want to shorten the point further. . . remember this: Christ Satisfies!

Background of the Psalm

David wrote this psalm when he was fleeing from his son Absalom who had won over the hearts of all the people of Israel.

You can learn more about this story by reading 2 Samuel 15-19.

The subscription of this psalm says that David was in the wilderness of Judah, and we see David dwelling in the wilderness from his son in 2 Samuel 15:23.

The Psalm seems to start out as a lament but builds into confident expectation of God’s deliverance.

This psalm enables each of God’s people to develop confidence in God during their times of trouble.

I know many of you have had a tough year in 2023, losing loved ones, facing health struggles, and other trials. . . therefore, this psalm should be an encouragement to you. . . guiding you to how you should respond during your darkest valley just as David was.

Today, Psalm 63 will teach us three things. . . that We should thirst for God, why we should thirst for God, and how we can increase our thirst for God.

Lets now look at the text together to see how thirsting for God will lead to us be satisfied in his steadfast love.

What Should We Thirst For? God (v. 1-2)

As we look at verses 1-2, we first see what we should thirst for. . . for when David is in his moment of desperation he tells us that he thirsts for God.

He says, O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you. . .”

David makes it personal. . . He says, “you are my God.”

For David, God is not just Lord of all the earth but he is his friend, his beloved.

He continues saying that he not only seeks God, but he earnestly seeks God.

He does not just go out searching once and easily gives up. . . but he yearns for God. . . he seeks God’s presence with everything inside him.

He does not wait until later in the day. . . but at the break of dawn, at first light, he is earnestly seeking after his Lord.

He then describes how he seeks for God saying. . . “My soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

The soul was the inner being of the person and the seat of a person’s emotions and desires. The flesh communicated David’s physical being (body).

This communicates that David’s entire being, both body and soul, longed for God.

David “thirsts” and “faints” after God. . . he said earlier in Psalm 42 that as the deer pants for the flowing streams, so my soul pants for you, O God, my soul thirsts for God, the living God. . .”

Remember that David is in the wilderness, he is fleeing for his life, but he does not thirst for water or for food or shelter, but instead he thirsts for God.

David wanted nothing more than to be in God’s presence.

Is this your hearts desire? Is the presence of God what your soul longs for? Is the word of God what your flesh faints for?

If not, why not?

What is hindering you or taking up your soul’s longing from thirsting after God?

David longed for and thirsted for God. . . but verse 2 says that he also longed to behold God’s glory in the sanctuary with God’s people.

Look at verse 2. . . “So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and your glory.”

David is recounting the times he saw the Lord in the sanctuary and beheld his majesty and splendor.

David just proclaimed that he longed and thirsted for God with his entire being. It is interesting that he then implies that the best place to experience the glory and power of God is in his sanctuary with his people.

David not only longs for God, but longs for the fellowship and communion with God and his people.

When is the last time you longed for corporate worship and were thirsty to be with the people of God?

Martin Loyd Jones said, “it is a very foolish Christian who does not attend the sanctuary of God as often as he possibly can, and who does not grieve when he cannot.”

What are some things you need to remove from your life to allow you to be in the presence of God with his people in the sanctuary each week?

Through the rest of the Psalm, David gives three reasons why he thirsts for God. . . and these are reasons we also should thirst and long for God.

God Provides Satisfaction (v. 3-5)

First, we should thirst for God because he provides satisfaction. . .

David says in verse 3. . . “because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.”

God’s “steadfast love” is the phrase God uses to describe himself in Exodus 34:6 and refers to his covenant faithful love he only gives to those who are his people.

David says this love is “better than life itself.”

As good as life is, the joys of playing with friends, enjoying a good meal, beholding the beauty of nature, etc. . . God’s faithful love is exceedingly better!

David emphasizes the satisfaction God provides in verse 5 when he says “My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food. . .”

Just as the fat of a juicy steak satisfies the stomach, so David says God satisfies our souls.

Or for you kids, a tasty hamburger, or a delicious pizza satisfies your hunger.

Psalm 34:8-10 reiterates this wonderful truth.

Psalm 16:11 says, “In your presence there is fullness of joy and at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Church, we must remember that true satisfaction comes in God alone

Jesus himself promises us that if we thirst and hunger for God’s righteousness. . . we shall be satisfied!

This covenant faithful love ultimately finds its expression and true fulfillment through the work of Christ on the cross.

Think about it, our life, which we cherish most, we can still lose. . . but we will never lose the love of God. It is unchangeable.

As Paul said in Romans 8:38-39. . . Nothing can separate us from the love of God. . . neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all of creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!

If there is nothing greater than God’s love, why are we spending our time on other things when we can seek and enjoy the everlasting love of God?

Jesus said that if we drink from the water of the world, of possessions, of popularity, of earthly pleasures. . . we will thirst again. . . but whoever drinks from the water that he provides will never thirst but will become in him a well springing up to eternal life! (John 4:13-14).

Notice what the response to God’s satisfying love should be. . unending praise to God in our songs and continually lifting up our hands in adoration to God in prayer with his people in the sanctuary.

David responded to the satisfaction he found in God by praising him and this would imply that he would not just keep God’s goodness to himself, but that he would proclaim God’s goodness to others so that they could taste and see that the Lord is good!

Has God satisfied you with his lovingkindness?

Have you tasted and seen that the Lord is good?

If so, are you proclaiming his goodness to others? Are you sharing with the spiritually hungry and thirsty where they can find true bread and true drink??

This must be our response to the great love God has shown us in Christ, to praise him continually and to proclaim him compassionately to a lost and dying world!

God Provides Serenity (v. 6-8)

So, we should thirst for God because he provides satisfaction. . .

Second, we should thirst for God because he provides serenity. . .

The word serenity communicates peace, comfort, and contentment.

David says in verse 6 that God provides him with serenity. . .

Even at night as David lays on his bed and keeps watch through the night he is satisfied and content in God.

His soul is at peace through remembering and meditating on his goodness and steadfast love.

This implies the blessing of Scripture memory and meditation.

Psalm 1:1-3.

In verses 7-8, David says that God provides security for him as he takes refuge in the shadow of God’s wings. Because of his safety and security, David once more sings for joy.

We know from many verses in Scripture that trusting in God provides true contentment and peace.

For example, in Philippians 4:10-13, Paul says that through being strengthened by Christ he has learned the secret to be content in any circumstance.

We know that through placing our faith in the work of Christ in his life, death, and resurrection, we have peace and complete serenity with God. . . and we can be at rest in him even when we are in the valley of the shadow of death as David was.

God Provides Salvation (v. 7-11)

So, God provides satisfaction and he provides serenity, but the last reason. . . arguably the greatest reason we should thirst after God is because he provides salvation.

David closes this song in verses 7-11 with confidence that God will save him from all his enemies.

Remember that David was fleeing from his son Absalom and was in the darkest valley of his life. . . yet It is here in the crucible where David finds God’s love to be richly satisfying.

David says in verse 8, “My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.”

David was confident that God’s right hand would uphold, sustain, and deliver him from his enemies.

He continues to express his confidence in God’s salvation in verses 9-10 and proclaims:

“But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals.”

What David is saying is that those who do not thirst after God. . . but rather hate God and his people will be destroyed and condemned.

These were enemies of David who did not support his Kingship.

But in contrast to the wicked. . . verse 11 says those who trust in God will rejoice and exult in God forever.

David knows that one day all those who speak lies and deceit will be cut off and their lies will no longer persist. Their mouths will be shut and closed like a dam that closes up a large river.

David can be satisfied in God because he will deliver and vindicate him.

For us today, we may not have people seeking to kill us or take our lives. . . but we still have enemies. . . for Paul says that our true enemies are not flesh and blood but the spiritual enemies of the world, our sinful flesh, and the devil.

Therefore, In the same way as David, we can have confidence that our enemies will fail in their goal of destroying God’s faithful. . . because Christ has ultimately defeated our enemies through his perfect life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection!

So, we too can be satisfied in God because he has provided salvation through Christ from our greatest enemies. . . sin and death.

How Can We Increase Our Longing for God?

We have seen what we should thirst for. . . God. . . and we have seen why we should thirst for God. . . because he provides satisfaction, serenity, and salvation. . . but now we have to answer the how question. . . how can we increase our thirst for God?

As we seek to apply this text to our lives, I want to offer four ways. . .

First, we must Remove Distractions

As I asked some questions earlier as we walked through the text. . . what are the biggest distractions in your life that are keeping you from spending time with the Lord?

What are the things that have your heart, that have your desires, that you long and crave more than time with God?

To figure out this question, do an assessment of what is consuming your time and money.

Maybe its watching or interacting with anything on a screen

The average adult spends five hours a day watching something on TV or a screen of some kind. . .

The average kid who is 8-18 spends 7.5 hours a day on a screen (almost 5 of those hours are on social media).

Do you know that you can read the letters of Romans through Jude in less time?

Maybe its physical fitness.

Share my story.

I have challenged our students to a 28-day media fast that begins tomorrow, January 1st and runs through our DNOW weekend.

I would also call each of you to that same challenge.

Regardless of what is stealing our affections away from God, if we truly believe God’s word and know that he alone will satisfy us, why would we not be willing to give up other things to be filled with his joy?

Whatever we feed our heart, we will crave and desire more. . . so instead of feeding our hearts with the things of this world. . . we should feed our heart with God’s word. . . which brings me to the second application. . .

We must not simply remove distractions but grow in our thirst for God we must also Remember the Lord.

David thirsted and longed for God by remembering his steadfast love in verses 4-6.

The only way we can remember God is by hearing him speak to us through his word each day.

As we begin the new year, most of you will want to start a Bible reading plan or seek to read the Bible more.

These are good desires, but if we don’t have a plan that we can actually follow, we are setting ourselves up for failure.

Also, if we just read the Bible, but never actually study the Bible to understand what it means and then seek to apply it to our lives, we are simply gaining knowledge about God instead of truly knowing God.

So, I would suggest committing to read the Bible 30 minutes every day this next year.

Did you know that if you just spent 30 minutes of reading the Bible each day, in a year, you could read. . .

the whole Bible twice.

The whole OT three times.

The whole NT eight times.

I have offered some plans on the Starting Point Desk that are doable in 15-20 minutes per day if you need a place to start.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing from the words of Christ. Spending time with God each day will give us a greater longing for him.

Third, to increase our thirst for God we must Return to the Sanctuary.

David’s thirst for God deepened when he remembered his time worshipping God in the sanctuary with his people in verses 2-3.

What are the things that are keeping you and your family from being with the people of God each Sunday in Bible Study, Corporate Worship, and LifeGroups?

Maybe its playing sports or participating in other hobbies.

Jesus died for his bride, the church. If we love Jesus, we will also love his church whom he died for.

I want to challenge you to make worshipping the Lord with your church family in Sunday School, Corporate worship, and LifeGroups a priority this year.

What if this year, you never missed one Sunday to gather with your church family? Even on vacation, you would make an effort to visit a local congregation with your family? What would that communicate to your kids about the importance of the gathered local church?

Lastly, to increase our thirst for God we must Rejoice in Our Salvation.

By remembering and praising God for the grace he has shown us in Christ, we will long for more of his presence.

When is the last time you thanked God for saving your from your sin?. . . For saving you from his wrath?. . . For saving you from hell?

Apart from his grace, that is where we would all be.

May we rejoice in what Christ has done to save us!

But rejoicing in our salvation also implies proclaiming his salvation to others.

This happens through both evangelism and discipleship.

Sharing the gospel with others will give us a greater hunger for God to know him and his word so we can better explain and tell of his goodness to those who are perishing.

Teaching others how to follow Jesus through discipleship will lead us to run to God more often for strength and grace to minister to others in their questions and trials.

Who do you know that is looking for satisfaction in the world but continuing to come up empty?

Who do you know that is wanting to learn how to follow Jesus but needs someone to teach them?

What is stopping you from rejoicing in your salvation and proclaiming his goodness to these people in your life?

So, by removing distractions, remembering the Lord, returning to the sanctuary, and rejoicing in our salvation, we will increase our thirst for God, leading us to come and drink from his well of living water and be forever satisfied.

But for some in this room. . . you have never tasted and seen that the Lord is good.

You are still in your sins and are longing to be cleansed of your guilt.

You are searching for satisfaction, serenity, and salvation in all the wrong places.

Can I urge you with the prophet Isaiah to come to the Lord today. . . for he says:

Isaiah 55:1–3 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?

Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.

Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live.

Jesus, picking up on this verse in John 7 says. . .

“if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.

Jesus is the bread of life. . . Jesus is the living water. . . whoever comes to him will never be hungry. . . and whoever believes in him will never thirst.

Friend, why not come to Jesus today and be saved and satisfied in his steadfast love?

Brother or sister in Christ, this morning, I plead with you to stop digging cisterns that hold no water and turn back to Jesus Christ, the fountain of living water, and be satisfied in his steadfast love once more.

Do not harden your hearts to what the Holy Spirit is prompting you to do right now from hearing his word this morning. . . but respond in repentance and faith. . . surrender your will to his. . . turn your eyes upon Jesus. . . and be satisfied in his steadfast love. . .