Psalm 63:3 “Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.”
What is life?
Questions regarding what we know, see, touch, feel, or simply experience can be asked with a thought towards our experiences but with an eye towards purpose. Some, probably most, live their lives with no more thought than their next meal, they might just driven by comfort alone or apathy concerning anything that is of Christ. The distinction that can be made from someone who lives for the here and now versus the one who lives for the eternal is as broad as the sky. The evidence for true satisfaction in life is found in those who know peace.
What does it take to make you comfortable?
Contentment is not found in what you have, it is discovered by those who look beyond what they have and see their circumstances from a different perspective.
The beauty of Psalms is found in seeing life from the perspective of someone who has had a meaningful encounter with God, and God changed the view of life. This view is not formed overnight. It comes by way of consistently trusting, watching God work through each challenge that comes in your path and each obstacle that attempts to divert your way.
With each trial comes understanding.
The product of understanding more of God is peace, not the peace the world looks for in the absence of war but a peace that exists within. Within the spectrum of peace lies joy, happiness, contentment, and ultimately a perspective of life that is rare. Why is it rare? To see life from God’s perspective is to be lifted higher than our circumstances and be given an eye toward the eternal.
The more you encounter Jesus in your everyday life, the more you want to know Him.
Want to see what it looks like from someone who has encountered God?
Psalm 63:1-2 “O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
2So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.”
Do you hear the yearning for more? The search for meaning to life is as dry and barren as a desert wasteland in this world of hopelessness. I am not talking about Creation, I’m talking about the people, philosophies, and enemies to God’s Holiness who seek their own, place themselves on their throne, and look for meaning anywhere but God.
The product of trusting God is to recognize His goodness.
Psalm 63:4 “Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.”
Worship springs forth from the lips of those who know Him. Like a good meal does the soul rest satisfied, because the love of God is what it needs. The Lord contains everything we yearn for, He holds it in His hands, waiting for you to seek it out. He gives joy freely, and His love He does not withhold. We look elsewhere only to find that empty promises lead to unfulfilled dreams.
Psalm 63:6-8 “When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.”
What do you meditate upon?
What is it that fills your mind when you sit quietly? Is it the affairs of this world, the changes you’ve witnessed in your culture, or the uncertainty of life as we know it?
When we meditate on the precepts of God, we meditate on His unchanging love. He doesn’t shift with the cultural winds nor is He affected by the thoughts of things to come. He knows the future from the past and He holds eternity in His hands. When we look to His help, His strength becomes our guide. When we grow weak, He upholds us and leads us on. His love is unfailing.
Psalm 63:9-10 “But those who seek my life, to destroy it,
Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
They shall fall by the sword;
They shall be a portion for jackals.”
Why do you fear the enemy without when He has no authority within?
The soul that is kept by God, is kept by His power. We need not fear the threat of uncertainty when our God holds us in His hands. We need not take vengeance upon those who show hatred when their fate is sealed by the King of kings. The vengeance of God is to restore those who have gone astray, not to destroy them. If you are in God’s hands, your enemies are His enemies. The ideology of the world ends in fire. It will be consumed by the hatred by which it was born. The very means by which the world attacks will be the means by which it falls.
Psalm 63:11 “But the king shall rejoice in God;
Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;
But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.”
Who is this king? When we follow Christ, He elevates us to a position we could not attain on our own.
“To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
The kingship of Christ has become our reward. We have received the gift of grace that He purchased by HIs royal position. He raises us up from our lowly state and makes us kings and priests in His court. We do not deserve His love, He simply lavishes it upon us freely. We receive it, and He accepts us just as we are.
Can you hear the love song of the child of God who has partaken of His Spirit? The lovingkindness of God is not just better than anything this life can afford—It is life. This is what life is all about, once you taste it, you’ll not accept anything less.
U.T. 