Experiment




Before you read the Psalm for this devotional, take a moment to think about your emotional state. Are you tired, scared, worried, or joyful? What situations loom over you or take up your emotional and intellectual energy? What is robbing you of peace in the night or satisfaction with your life? If you can’t think of anything, think harder.

Now – read this psalm. Just take in the words and let them work on you. After you’ve read this psalm, read it again – twice.


Psalm 63
A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. [We don’t really know why David was in the wilderness. Perhaps it was when he was running from his son, Absalom. Or perhaps he was simply remembering when he had to run from King Saul.]
1O 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.
2So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary, beholding Your power and glory.
3Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You.
4So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift up my hands.
5My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise You with joyful lips,
6when I remember You upon my bed, and meditate on You in the watches of the night;
7for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I will sing for joy.
8My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.
9But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals.
11But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by Him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.

Now take stock of your emotional state. Did God’s word have any effect on your spirit? Was there peace in the reading of these words for you? Which verses stand out and grab your attention? Read them again and think about them in reference to your own life.

We all have times of wandering in a figurative desert. But as you can see, David uses that bleak place as an object lesson for his soul. God is right there, providing all that David needs to support his life and grant him peace. These words should have the same effect on your spirit. Those worrisome circumstances cannot stand up to the God of the Universe. Those dry and weary places are no match for God’s mercy and grace. His comfort is yours – always.

I know this post is different from the ones of the past. But these words are like healing ointment for the weary soul. If you are still restless, read them again and again until God’s peace is restored. God’s Word has that power and when you finally find peace, rejoice in the fact that you have just experienced your own personal miracle. God’s good like that.

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