Psalm 63 is about being thirsty. It's not talking about that in a physical way, but physical thirst is a good word picture for something that God has placed in every human being. Every human being, even the most irreligious person, is spiritually thirsty. Now, God wired that thirst inside of us to drive us to him.
Many of the things that we anxiously or frenetically pursue, we do so because we are trying our best to satisfy the thirst that's in our hearts. So, we think, a relationship with this person, if only this person loved me, or if only I could marry this person, then my heart wouldn't be hungry anymore. Or only if I could have this material thing, fill in the blank, then I'd be satisfied. Or if only I could achieve this level of success, maybe I wouldn't be thirsty anymore. Or if only I had this power, if only I had this control, if only I had this size of bank account, if only I could have sexual satisfaction. None of these things has the power to quench your thirst. Earth will never be your savior. Earth will never satisfy your thirst.
O 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.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
So, what do we do to satisfy that thirst that we have inside of us? Well, you first have to understand it will never be satisfied horizontally. If you're looking to your marriage, or to your friendship, or to your job, or all those other things that I mentioned, to give you happiness, to satisfy your heart, it will never happen. I would sit in counseling and a wife would say to me, "All I ever wanted was a man who would make me happy." I think, "That poor man's cooked," because he didn't have a prayer of producing what you hunger for.
So, David says this, do these four things: run to the sanctuary. Go to where God is. Go to his word. Go to fine Christian literature. Go to wonderful Christian music. Go to those public gatherings of worship. Go to your small group. Go to where God is because he is where your thirst is going to be satisfied.
Daily meditate on the Lord. When you're meditating on the Lord, you may not realize this, but your heart is taking a big cool drink, 64 ounces of God washing through your heart.
Remember that only he can quench your thirst. You just have to keep preaching that to yourself. The things we look to for happiness won't make us happy. They only frustrate, they only discourage.
Fourth thing he says is: stay near to him. Stay inside his boundaries. Stay where God can be found.
Run to the sanctuary. Meditate on the Lord. Remember that only he can quench your thirst. Stay near to him.
Well, I have got good news. There will be a day we won't thirsty anymore because we will be in his presence forever. And we will be satisfied!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. What are the typical places you "horizontally" run to in order to find satisfaction and quench your spiritual thirst? In what ways have these horizontal areas let you down? Why do you think you keep running to the wrong places to satisfy your spiritual thirst even though they let you down over and over again?
2. As you think about "running to the sanctuary," what might that specifically look like for you as you consider God's Word, Christian literature, worship music, corporate worship gatherings, small group studies, etc? Take some time to consider and name those areas where you can meet God in the sanctuary. Now, what might it look like for you to get alone and meditate on the Lord and his Word? How could your meditation on him and his Word help refresh you?
3. Why is the Lord the only one who can truly refresh you and quench your thirst? What kind of practice or accountability can you set up in your life to remind you that you should only search for fulfillment in God, not other horizontal sources?
4. As you take inventory of your life, what would it look like for you to stay inside the boundaries God has set up for you? How can you proactively stay where God can be found?
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• Why do you think it's so easy to get dissatisfied with the things you have like your toys? If you got a new toy right now, how long do you think it would take before you'd want something even more new to get excited about? Why do you think it's so easy for us to quickly get bored with the new stuff we get? What do you think would really satisfy you?
• If we're so quick to get bored of any new toy or gift that we receive, what do you think might take that boredom away forever? Will toys or gifts or experiences or anything else in this world be able to do that for us? Why or why not? What do you think our boredom really points to?
• How do you think we can find true comfort and happiness? What will ultimately never go away? Do you think because we're all so unsatisfied with the things of this world that we were made by God that way? What do you think would satisfy us if God made us to feel disappointed in what the world provides for us? How can we find satisfaction in God alone (let's think about practical things we can pursue together to seek out that ultimate satisfaction)?
For Older Children:
• Why do you think so many kids your age get bored so easily with the world around them? Is everything ultimately boring and unsatisfying? How does that make you feel?
• If people, places, and things in this world are going to disappoint us, let us down, and never satisfy what we really thirst for in life, where's the hope? What will ultimately help fulfill us if nothing in this world can?
• (After re-reading Psalm 63 together) What might it look like for you and I to stay near to God? What do you think it means to "meditate on the Lord"? How can God "quench our thirst" in ways the world will never be able to do? How can we help each other to run to God for satisfaction instead of to the things of this world?
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