Psalm 63:1

NASB – 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.

NRSVUE – O God, you are my God; 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.

VOICE – O True God, You are my God, the One whom I trust. I seek You with every fiber of my being. In this dry and weary land with no water in sight, my soul is dry and longs for You. My body aches for You, for Your presence.

Finding Peace in Chaos

David wrote this in isolation, either from fleeing Saul or Absalom. Overall, David was cut off from the familiar environment He had in Jerusalem and the ability to publicly worship at the sanctuary. This led to the deeper reality that exists for all of us that God is our refuge, strength, and greatest need. David focuses in on the relationship he was with God. Even though his enemies surround him, David found rest and peace in God. David turns to God instead of letting the danger, fear, or loss take over his mind. While his isolation removed a lot of the ability to be supported by others, it allowed him to stay present and faithful to God.

Nothing on earth can satisfy David right now. As water gives life to the dirt, our relationship with God gives life to our heart. For David, this would have ignited the hope within him for the future Messiah to come. David’s push for God involves all parts of his body mind and soul. His reality shows what life can look like without God, but remembered how God provided and sustained them through a very tough time in their history.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: When you feel isolated, how do you manage those feelings? How can God help you overcome the despair that isolation brings?

Give Your Stress to God

I have talked about how stress can impact our physical health, creating digestive issues, poor heart health, sleep disturbances, and more. The more that we internalize our stress, the more impactful the stress can be. David could have done that, focusing on the danger he was in, the fear of what was to come, or the loss of what is happening to the land he was in. However – he didn’t focus on it. While I’m sure he was struggling with managing his fight-or-flight symptoms. I’m sure he was watching over his shoulder to see when his enemies were coming for him. David focused on our relationship with God. David knows that God will provide for Him in this situation, as God does in all situations.

When we’re stressed, we’re tempted to isolate ourselves. We may do it because we don’t want to be burden to someone else. We may do it because we fear lashing out at someone. We may do it because the stress takes all of our energy to socialize. Whichever the reason, I encourage you to lean on God. Share your troubles with Him, and give Him the weight of your stress. Those weights may get lighter because you got them off of your chest. You can then lean on God’s path to guide you through the stress, carrying His commands and will for His path is light. It may feel more difficult, because it will be counter-cultural. It creates a dependence on Him, and how we receive His love and mercy and reflect that to our neighbors around us.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How can you ensure that isolation doesn’t run your life? What can you do to overcome isolation?

Meeting God at the Beginning

To seek God during times of our stress, let’s land at Deuteronomy 4:29, which says:

NASB – But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.

NRSVUE – From there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him if you search after him with all your heart and soul.

VOICE – But when you’re there, you’ll look for the Eternal your God. If every part of you is invested in the search, heart and soul, then you’ll find Him.

The ancient people faced their issues in the wilderness, but they always had a path to reconcile with God. God kept the relationship open. Israel would have to turn away from idols and cease going against the commands of the god who rescued them from slavery in Egypt. This would take worship, prayer, obedience, and trust in the teachings of God. For those who returned to God, God would be present. The sinfulness of God’s people strained the relationship, but God never abandoned them. God was ready to welcome His people back home. God required than just a change of actions or immediate grief. God wanted to see the change happen in our thoughts, words, actions, and desires. We are called to love God completely and reminds us of the future promise that God will give us the indwelling of the Holy Spirit when we follow His commands.

The importance that this verse talks about is engaging in a personal relationship with God. Studying the scripture allows us to learn the commands of God through the ministry of Christ to see how we can apply those commands to our lives. Worship allows us to connect with God in gratitude for what God has done, is doing, and will do. Prayer allows us to have conversations with God, sharing everything that we celebrate in life and sharing the things that are weighing heavy on our hearts (as we’ve talked about today.) Faith allows us a path to do the hard things, walk through the scary circumstance, and say the difficult conversation. It’s a trust that God will walk along side us through the trials to a place of victory. All this can come from a relationship with God.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What can you do to create a meaningful relationship with God?