Week 2 part 2 of our series, Quieting Your Heart for the Holidays
I’m reading Psalm 63 in my quiet time today. David talks about being in a dry and thirsty land. Scholars say that this was likely at the time that he went to the forest of Hereth in Judah (1 Samuel 22:5). He was in hiding, as King Saul was determined to kill him.
We all have a King Saul in our life. The Bible tells us that our “adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8.
We feel that presence in our life when we’re tempted and tried. We feel the stress when we’re pressed on every side. And we know that satan wants to destroy us.
Reading his words from Psalm 63, we can learn from David’s example. He teaches us how a servant of God should respond during dark and trying times. He teaches us how to quiet our hearts when we’re troubled:
- He seeks God out. v. 1
- He sees things from a different perspective: God’s loving kindness is greater than life itself. v. 3
- He doesn’t just praise God, he praises Him with joy. v. 5
- When he can’t sleep, he meditates on the Lord. v. 6
- He acknowledges the faithfulness of God. v. 7
- He fervently pursues the Lord. v. 8
These are all things that we know. We know we’re supposed to pursue God. We know that we’re supposed to praise Him. We know that we’re supposed to be joyful… so what’s to be learned here that hasn’t been said a thousand times?
It’s this. We need to take the things that we’ve learned in the light, into the darkness with us.
When the enemy is in pursuit of our soul we need to hold on to the truth of God’s word. It’s easy to say these things over coffee with a friend, when everything is going your way, but difficult when we’re tested and tried.
That’s the challenge for us. If we want to grow in our faith, we need to grow by our faith.
Finally one other thing stood out to me in this chapter. In verse 7, David talks about the “shadow” of God’s wing. I’ve never thought about darkness that way before, have you? We’d all be wise to remember that God’s protection is upon us when we can’t see the light. Just because we feel stressed when we’re going through darkness, it doesn’t mean that we’re walking alone.
You are loved by an almighty God,
Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: 6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. 7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. 8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me. – Psalm 63:1-8
I am enjoying the study very much! Thank you for all the wonderful resources and creating this awesome study that women from many different places and walks of life can enjoy together. What a beautiful blessing! Thank you!
Thank you for posting this. I needed it today, I believe God has it in my email box just especially for me!
Darlene, we’ve been going through a dark time for quite a while. This week was a very hard week, and the Lord just when I need it has brought me as a reminder, devotions/teachings of dark times. Thank you, this is a little different twist on the theme of dark times, but has worded the lesson right where I am, and is exactly what I need to hear. I already know this, but the two phrases jump out:
“We need to take the things we’ve learned in the light, into the darkness with us”.
and
“If we want to grow in our faith, we need to grow by our faith”
Darlene, it doesn’t matter one whit whether you feel qualified to write, but God uses a humble, willing, available, and surrendered person and loves and He uses you the lessons you’ve learned to teach, encourage, remind, build up, correct us. For this I’m truly grateful you are sharing your hard experiences. He’s spoken through you to me different times. Thank you for acting on your compulsion just like the Apostle Paul, being compelled to share.
Blessings,
Joanne
Thank you! This is such a blessing and great reminder right now.
I love this post today, it really spoke to me. Thank you for doing this study with us and for us. I am really getting a lot out of it. I really like how you broke this down for us.. “He seeks God out. v. 1 He sees things from a different perspective: God’s loving kindness is greater than life itself. v. 3 He doesn’t just praise God, he praises Him with joy. v. 5 When he can’t sleep, he meditates on the Lord. v. 6 He acknowledges the faithfulness of God. v. 7 He fervently pursues the Lord. v. 8” Thank you again, you are truly a blessing.
Meditating on the Lord is always something that helps me sleep, but I seldom think to do it when I am full of worries. Thank you for this reminder!
Beautiful! It’s so nice to see positive reminders to quiet our life and focus on God in this busy world.
Wonderful post. I have enjoyed your bible studies. They truly are a blessing. Thank you!
Thank you, Christine!