Thirsty

In Psalm 63, David was thirsty. Literally. According to the psalm title, he was in the wilderness. Verse one reveals that he was "in a dry and weary land where there is no water."

David had a greater thirst, however, than his physical thirst. His dry mouth and parched tongue reminded him of how thirsty his soul was for God. Man cannot live long without actual water, and David realized that the same was true in the spiritual realm. He could not survive without God.

As David experienced these two types of thirst, he set priorities in seeking to meet his needs. We don't read that he scanned the horizon, searching for an oasis. He didn't dig in the sand, hoping to discover a spring. He didn't use landmarks to travel in a particular direction, anticipating a source of water.

No, instead of searching for physical water, David sought God. He sought God "earnestly" (v. 1). Some translations say that he sought "early," indicating a priority. He yearned for God, and he put forth dedicated effort to meet that need.

Could David have dehydrated and died in the wilderness? Yes, it could have happened. David himself realized that. Surviving, however, was not at the top of David's list of priorities. Life was not the most important thing. David states in verse three that God's "lovingkindness is better than life."

David had two needs - physical and spiritual. God chose to meet both. But if David had to choose between one and the other, he chose God. Experiencing God's love was better than life itself. If he lived, he would continue in God's love. If he died, he would still have God's love.

Not only was God the more important choice, but He was also the more satisfying choice. When David had his next drink of water, he was relieved of his thirst - but only temporarily. Sooner rather than later he would thirst again. Spiritually, the answer is much different. In respect to his relationship with God, David states that his "soul is satisfied" (v. 5). His thirst for God was satisfied with a relationship so abundant that it was the cause for great rejoicing.

We may have needs on multiple levels, but we must never forget that our greatest need is for God. We must earnestly seek Him to meet our deepest needs, and that pursuit must be more important than less critical pursuits. It is right for us to be grateful when our various needs are met, but in the midst of our relief, we must remember that God satisfies our needs better than anyone or anything else.

"O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." Psalm 63:1 (NASB)

Hungry

We all know what it is like to be sick. A recent bug in circulation seemed not to promote extreme symptoms, but just made people feel lousy. Maybe these aren't all linked to the same illness, but people have talked of losing their voice, having a scratchy throat, having a headache, having body aches, being extra tired, and generally feeling "blah." If I was fighting what it seems other people had, I also didn't have much appetite. When we are sick, we often don't feel much like eating.

Sometimes there are obvious reasons why we can't eat during an illness, but hopefully that only lasts for a day or two. When we are unable to eat or don't eat as much as normal, it doesn't take long for our bodies to feel the effect. As we fail to get nutrition into our systems, we become weaker. Even with something minor, it seems to take a few days to get back to normal. Those who go through a severe illness may need weeks to get their strength back.

As much as we may not want to eat due to illness or some other reason, we need to eat anyway. Even if it is just a token amount, it is still important to give our body sustenance. Failure to do so leads to increasing weakness, until we eventually reach the point that we are unable to do much of anything, (including having the energy to eat).

Even if food is ingested in small bits here and there, we must eat something to keep our body from shutting down. As we eat and are strengthened, we will want more and more food, and we continue building back to our previous condition.

The same is true of our spiritual health. There are times, whether during a significant event or something minor, that we don't feel like eating spiritual food - reading the Bible, going to church. Just like with our physical body, we must provide nutrition for our spiritual body. Failing to do so will lead to weakness and gradual decline until we reach the point that we are unable to do much of anything spiritually. The longer we go without consistent and substantial spiritual food, the more danger we are in.

At some point, the parallel between the physical and spiritual breaks down. Physically, if recovering from an illness, it is somewhat true that the more we eat the better; we need that in order to make up for what we had lost and get back to a normal level. The return of a healthy appetite is a good indicator that health has returned. Physically, however, there is a line that needs to be drawn. We can't keep eating more and more and still remain healthy.

Spiritually we can have that same gradual increase. As we begin to eat, perhaps in small portions, our appetite returns, and we regain strength. An appetite for the Word indicates renewed spiritual health. The difference is that from a spiritual perspective, we can keep on eating. It is impossible to take in too much of God's Word.

Not hungry? Eat anyway. Once you start to eat, you might be surprised to find out how hungry you really were and how much your spiritual man was crying out for food.

"Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation." I Peter 2:2 (NASB)

My Foot Is Slipping

Winter weather can bring hazards and challenges. Cold is one of the challenges. The current news is talking about breaking low temperature records that go back nearly one hundred years. Last night the temperature dipped below zero, and next week promises to be even colder. Another challenge is snow - or, even worse, ice. Winter weather events can lead to slipping both in cars and on foot.

While navigating on ice can be treacherous, it is not the only situation that presents the possibility of falling. Falls can be prompted by physical frailty, exhaustion, or illness. They can happen when someone is walking on steep or otherwise difficult terrain. Falls can even occur for no apparent reason while walking in ordinary conditions.

In Psalm 38, David presents the idea of slipping. He is referring not to a physical danger, but to a spiritual one. In this psalm he is filled with contrition over his sin. As he seeks God's mercy, he refers to the heavy burden of his sin. His situation is so difficult that he is ready to fall (v. 17). In his prayer, he reveals what his enemies, those who seek his destruction, would like to do.

“For I said, May they not rejoice over me, who, when my foot slips, would magnify themselves against me.” Psalm 38:16 (NASB)

When David is weakest and most vulnerable, those who look on want to take advantage of the opportunity. When they see David's foot slip, they are ready to pounce upon him. They are ready to knock David down even more so they can exalt themselves.

No one needs that kind of acquaintance around during a difficult time. When our foot slips, we need someone who will help to hold us up, not someone who will push us down further and laugh at our fallen condition. Thankfully, we have such a person. Psalm 94 reveals a different response that also happens in slippery situations.

“If I should say, My foot has slipped, Your lovingkindness, O LORD, will hold me up.” Psalm 94:18 (NASB)

When it seems that this psalmist stands alone in his time of need, he knows that he is not really alone. God is carefully watching and listening to all that is going on (v. 9). When God sees His child's foot slip, His lovingkindness causes Him to step in and give His aid. God holds up the one who is falling.

What a wonderful truth it is to realize that God loves us so much that He has compassion on us in our struggles! When others might stand idly by or even contribute to our instability, God reaches out to us. His mighty arms hold and protect us. While it may be true that we have enemies who want nothing more than to see us fall, the God who holds us up is greater than they are. It is to this strong and loving God that David turns in Psalm 38:22: "Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!" In our own slippery situations, we must also turn our gaze upon the one who can hold us up, rather than focusing on the dangers that threaten to pull us down.

Be Glorified

"In my life, Lord, be glorified, be glorified.
In my life, Lord, be glorified today."

This is a simple chorus I've heard several times. I was not able to identify a source for it, and with all the variations for additional verses, it seems that any number of people have expanded upon the original. I've come across variations including the following: "in my home, in my words, in this hour, in Your church, and in my heart."

At the beginning of 2014, may I suggest "in this year"? We all have aspirations and goals that we would like to accomplish or see happen in our lives. We work toward those goals (sometimes with extreme dedication), and we earnestly God to bring them about. While it is right to dedicate ourselves to what we believe to be the will of God, we must be careful that our greatest aspiration is for God to be glorified in our lives.

Our personal goals may be for things like health, freedom from debt, time with family, or success for a project. There is not necessarily anything wrong with any of those goals; each of them could be used to bring glory to God. Greater than the accomplishment of any of those specific desires, however, is the ultimate goal that God be lifted up. That might happen just as well or even better through a difficult illness, unexpected financial burdens, loneliness, or a failed project than it could through accomplishment of our desired goals. Good or bad, everything in our lives should be for God's glory.

“According to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” Philippians 1:20 (NASB)