Psalms 63 - Psalm 63 / Oh, My Thirsty Soul

An Unlikely Man After God’s Own Heart

Well, how are we all doing? Things going alright? Good. If you have your Bible, how about turning to Psalm 63? Let’s get right to work here.

I’ve shared before that I came to Christ later in life. I was in my early twenties. That may be early to some, but it felt late to me. I felt like I missed out on all the really cool Sunday school stories, flannelgraphs, potlucks, and all the other awesome things churches did—like potlucks and more potlucks. I just felt like I had missed it.

When I started reading my Bible at twenty-one, all kinds of questions came to my mind. It didn’t take long in the book of Genesis before running into things I really wanted some clarity on. You’d really like to know what on earth this global flood was about, or how God created all of these things by the very word of His mouth. What was interesting to me, though—and maybe it’s different for some of you—was the fact that God spoke the world into existence in six days. To me, that was easy to accept. I realized that if God really could forgive all of my sin, He wasn’t just powerful, He was really, really powerful. If He could forgive this moron, He could certainly create the world in six days by the word of His mouth. I didn’t have any problem with that.

Early on in my faith, I recognized that of all the things that could be known about God, I had about a pinhead of understanding. But I was okay with that because God was bigger than me, and I wasn’t trying to be God. I was fine with Him being Lord and Almighty and all-powerful. It’s a little awkward, however, when you’re trying to teach the Bible and your best answer is, “Look, I don’t really know what all this means, I just know God is awesome!” You can only say that a couple of times before people say, “Okay, great, but can we get a little bit of scholarly input somewhere?”

So I went to seminary expecting to get answers. I paid a lot of money to leave with more questions. Now I have a sweet degree on my wall—a Master’s in Biblical Studies—which really just means I have even more questions.

Over the years, my questions have begun to shift. They aren’t so much, “God, are You able to do this or that?” but rather, “God, why did You use him? God, why did You use her? Why, as I read through my Bible, do I find all kinds of unsavory characters in the pages of Scripture?”

Now, I’m grateful for that in some regards, because I know that without Christ, on the inside I am a very unsavory character. But the people God chose to use are truly scandalous. Take David, for example. We’ve been talking about the Psalms for several weeks now, and David penned many of them. David is a fascinating case study. He was anointed king as a shepherd boy, defeated Goliath, and fled from the spears of King Saul. But then you look at his life and see this massive failure with lust. He looks at Bathsheba, gets her pregnant, tries to cover it up with her husband Uriah, and when that fails, he has Uriah murdered. That’s really where everything starts going south. One of his sons rapes his half-sister, another son murders that brother, and things just get worse and worse.

Yet what fascinates me is that the Bible calls David a “man after God’s own heart.” You’ve got to be kidding me! That’s the guy who becomes the standard throughout the books of Kings. As the monarchy progresses and the kingdom splits, the text will repeatedly say that a king did right in the eyes of the Lord “like his father David.” And I’m thinking, Did I miss a page? Did I not read something? How on earth is that guy a man after God’s own heart?

Have you ever wondered that? How could God use those kinds of people? The key to understanding how God uses people like that is found in the wilderness. Think about how many people throughout the Old Testament get taken behind the proverbial woodshed in the wilderness to get their attention. You can trace almost any major biblical figure, as well as great men and women throughout church history—those who have been used greatly by God have often been broken deeply by Him.

I don’t know about you, but in my flesh, I relate a whole lot more to the scumbags than to the righteous. I relate to people like David who make really dumb decisions—decisions where you look at them and say, “Buddy, you need some serious help.” And so I wonder, God, if You can use them, is there hope for us?

Let’s be frank: the church is not filled with the moral elite. If you look around, this room is certainly not full of spiritual juggernauts. But by the grace of God, He uses the broken. Let’s see if we can learn a lesson from the wilderness on how someone like David becomes a man after God’s own heart.

Fleeing into the Wilderness

Psalm 63 has one of two historical contexts. The heading tells us it is a Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

Psalms 63:1 (NASB)

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

David was in the wilderness twice. The first time was early in his life when he was fleeing from King Saul. David had been anointed king, but he was not yet on the throne, and Saul had an unfortunate propensity for throwing spears at his friends. The second time was later in David’s life. In Psalm 63:11, David refers to himself as “the king.” While he might have been referring to his prophetic anointing, it’s far more likely this took place during the rebellion of his son Absalom.

Absalom had won over the hearts of the men of Israel, anointed himself king, and marched to seize his father’s throne. David had to flee Jerusalem for his life. The biblical account tells us he left the city, crossed the Kidron Valley, ascended the Mount of Olives weeping with his head covered and his feet bare, and headed down into the wilderness. He ended up at a place called Mahanaim, which means “God’s camp”—the very place where Jacob had wrestled with God centuries earlier.

Psalms 61 and 62 build toward the crescendo of Psalm 63. Derek Kidner wrote that while there may be other Psalms that equal its outpouring of devotion, there are few, if any, that surpass it. You see the raw, honest candor of David pouring out his heart.

David is running for his life from his own son, humiliated, barefoot, with no supplies, and yet look at how he begins:

“O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You.” If you are reading the King James Version, it says, “Early will I seek thee.” The Hebrew root word carries the idea of seeking diligently or looking early for someone. Right off the bat, you see that David has an intense passion for God. He isn’t groping for God like a stranger reaching in the dark for someone he doesn’t know. He is seeking intimacy with the One he calls his friend. Seeking God is his regular, instinctive practice.

It reminds me of what Jeremiah wrote in Lamentations while watching Jerusalem burn:

Lamentations 3:21-23 (NASB)

This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. [They] are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

Jeremiah says, “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope: the Lord’s lovingkindness indeed never ceases, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness.”

David had that exact same longing. There was an absolute preeminence given to God in David’s life. Nothing took God’s place.

David then uses a powerful metaphor to describe his longing:

“My soul thirsts for You; my flesh faints for You, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

Before I ever visited Israel, whenever I heard the word “wilderness,” I pictured woods—like the Forest Moon of Endor in Star Wars. But the Judean wilderness is not a forest. You know what it is? Rocks. And what else? Rocks. And more rocks. That is literally it.

That’s why it was such a specific temptation when Satan told Jesus in that same Judean wilderness, “Turn these stones into bread.” There were stones everywhere, but not a single tree, no shade, and blistering heat. In that climate, hospitality wasn’t just a polite courtesy; it was a matter of life and death. If travelers reached a city on a hill and the residents refused them water, they would die within days. You can eat a massive burrito and survive for a week, but try going without water for three days in the desert. Your entire body screams for fluids. You cannot put it aside, you cannot procrastinate, and you cannot ignore it.

David takes that desperate, physical craving for water in a scorching wasteland and says, “That is how much I need God. My soul thirsts for You.”

Better Than Life

In verse two, David looks back and remembers who God is:

Psalms 63:2 (NASB)

Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.

“So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary, beholding Your power and glory.”

The permanent temple had not been built yet, but David had brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and placed it in a tent. David reflects on his past experiences of worshiping God. He falls back on his memories, reminiscing about the grandeur, beauty, and power of God, much like he does in Psalm 139.

Psalms 139:17 (NASB)

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

In his deepest distress, David draws near to God. Then in verse three, he gives the ultimate reason why his soul can rejoice in the desert:

Psalms 63:3 (NASB)

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You.

“Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You.”

That phrase “steadfast love” or “lovingkindness” translates the Hebrew word chesed. It might be the most significant theological word in the Old Testament. Chesed is not merely an emotion or affection; it is God’s covenantal, promise-keeping love.

As David sits in the dirt, he remembers the covenants of God. He remembers the covenant with Noah never to destroy the earth again with a flood. He remembers the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12, where God promised land, seed, and blessing. And he surely remembers the Davidic covenant, where God promised that one of his descendants would sit on the throne forever.

David meditates on God’s covenant faithfulness and makes a staggering declaration: “Your love is better than life itself.” He is saying, “God, I would rather die right now in covenant relationship with You than live a single day outside of Your presence.” His entire orientation was centered on God. God was his breath, his priority, his ambition, and his consuming desire.

A Soul Satisfied in the Night

Look at how David continues in verses four through seven:

Psalms 63:4-7 (NASB)

So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.

“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.”

Notice verse five: “My soul will be satisfied.” What does it mean to be truly satisfied in God? Years ago, John Piper wrote a profound book called Desiring God, where he popularized the truth that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.

David didn’t find his ultimate satisfaction in being king, nor in sitting inside a luxurious palace in Jerusalem. His satisfaction was in God alone. To be satisfied in God means to long for Him, to yearn for Him, and to enjoy relationship with Him above everything else. David says that knowing God satisfies his inner being like the richest, finest steak dinner.

This brings to mind the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10.

Luke 10:41-42 (NASB)

But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but [only] one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.’

Jesus was visiting their home, and Martha was running around frantic—working in the kitchen, wiping the counters, stressing out about serving everyone. Mary, meanwhile, was simply sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to His words. When Martha complained and demanded that Jesus rebuke her sister, Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion.” Jesus was saying, “Martha, I don’t care about a five-course meal or a spotless house. I just want your heart. I want you to be present with Me.”

When a heart is genuinely satisfied in God, praise is the natural, inevitable overflow. True worship comes from a soul delighting in the Lord. The reverse is equally true: show me someone who refuses to praise or worship, and I’ll show you someone who is not satisfied in God. If you do not delight in Him, you will not praise Him. A great diagnostic question for our spiritual health is: What is my worship like? Am I satisfied in God, or am I constantly looking for fulfillment everywhere else?

Notice when David meditates on God: “upon my bed, in the watches of the night.” When he couldn’t sleep, or when he stood guard over his people in the dark, he occupied his mind with the unchanging character of God, the attributes of God, and the immense faithfulness of God.

Then David looks at his enemies:

Psalms 63:9-10 (NASB)

But those who seek my life to destroy it, Will go into the depths of the earth. They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; They will be a prey for foxes.

Those who sought to destroy him were almost an afterthought. David knew that God would handle his adversaries.

And look at the anchor verse of this entire Psalm:

Psalms 63:8 (NASB)

My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.

“My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.”

The word “clings” here is the exact same Hebrew word used in Genesis 2:24, where it says a man shall leave his father and mother and “hold fast” or “cling” to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. It implies fierce, inseparable union. David is saying, “My soul is glued to You, God. I never want to be separated from You.”

Why was David a man after God’s own heart? Look at the progression of Psalm 63:

• “Earnestly I seek You” (v. 1)
• “My soul thirsts for You” (v. 1)
• “My flesh faints for You” (v. 1)
• “Your steadfast love is better than life” (v. 3)
• “I will lift up my hands” (v. 4)
• “My soul will be satisfied” (v. 5)
• “I meditate on You” (v. 6)
• “I will sing for joy” (v. 7)
• “My soul clings to You” (v. 8)

David was a man after God’s own heart because he relentlessly, passionately pursued God.

2 Chronicles 16:9 (NASB)

‘For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars.’

As 2 Chronicles says, the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to strongly support those whose hearts are completely His. David’s heart belonged entirely to God.

Why We Fall Short

Did David make terrible mistakes? Absolutely. But it would be very easy for us to say, “Well, we’re just like David, so we must be pursuing God too!”

Honestly, if you took the spiritual temperature of David in the wilderness and compared it to our spiritual temperature today, who do you think is burning hotter for the things of God?

Why do we often fall so short of this kind of passion? Let me offer three reasons.

First, David understood the depth of his depravity.

Psalms 51:5 (NASB)

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

In Psalm 51, David cried out, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” David knew he was a broken sinner in desperate need of mercy.

Luke 7:47 (NASB)

‘For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.’

Jesus taught that he who is forgiven little loves little, but he who is forgiven much loves much. Our problem today is that we don’t think our sin is really that bad. We compare ourselves horizontally: “Well, compared to God I have some issues, but compared to my neighbor, I’m doing fantastic! He’s a total dirtbag, so I don’t really need to change.” Because we think we’ve only been forgiven a little, we love God very little. We don’t realize that apart from Christ, we are spiritually dead, hostile in mind, and fully deserving of wrath. Because we minimize our sin, we have no desperate pursuit of God.

Second, we live in a culture of extreme distraction and soft spirituality. We get totally consumed by our careers, our golf game, our houses, our kids’ sports, or the next binge-worthy TV show. Those things subtly take preeminence over God. We complain if we have to park on the grass at church or walk an extra fifty yards. We get grumpy if the drive-thru latte doesn’t have enough vanilla. We have turned Christianity into a comfortable country club where we sit around, eat s’mores, and pretend we’ve already arrived.

Romans 8:13 (NASB)

for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Paul tells us in Romans 8 that if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Following Jesus requires radical death to self.

Galatians 2:20 (NASB)

’I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the [life] which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

We have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us. Yet so many people make excuses to put off following Him wholeheartedly.

Luke 9:62 (NASB)

But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’

Jesus warned that no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. When a man told Jesus, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father,” he wasn’t at a funeral home; he was asking to wait ten or fifteen years until his father passed away so he could collect his inheritance before committing his life to discipleship.

Luke 9:59-60 (NASB)

And He said to another, ‘Follow Me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.’ But He said to him, ‘Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.’

People do the exact same thing today: “Let me just get through this busy season with the kids. Let me establish my career first. Let me retire, and then I’ll really serve God.”

Listen to me: the time is now. Whether you are a middle school student, a high schooler, a college student, a young parent whose kids take all your time, or an empty nester whose grown kids take all your money—whatever season of life you find yourself in, today is the day to seek God with all your heart.

Storming the Gates

Finally, we forget what the church is called to be. We haven’t just been called to sit inside a building; we have been called to be the church.

Matthew 16:18 (NASB)

’I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

Jesus promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church. For centuries, we have built church buildings with defensive walls and gates, thinking we are supposed to hide inside. But gates are defensive structures, not offensive weapons! Gates don’t attack anyone. Jesus was saying that the church of the living God should be on the offensive, advancing against the darkness, kicking down the gates of hell, and rescuing people who are perishing.

2 Corinthians 10:5 (NASB)

[We are] destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and [we are] taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

We are called to destroy strongholds, take every thought captive to Christ, and be the fragrant aroma of Jesus in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and families. We are called to love our neighbors, serve the poor, stand up for the hurting, and push back darkness for the glory of God.

One Puritan author put it this way: “It is or should be the desire of every Christian to see and enjoy more and more of the glory of God. A view of the divine glory crucifies our lusts and puts the corruption of our heart to death.”

David became a man after God’s own heart because he relentlessly pursued God. Are you ready to be a man or a woman after God’s own heart?

I am all in. All chips on the table. Look, there will always be people who are smarter, more talented, or more spiritually mature than you. But God doesn’t need someone else—He wants you. He wants us to be people whose hearts are totally His, who hide His Word in our hearts that we might not sin against Him.

We have been coasting in spiritual neutral for far too long, and when you put a car in neutral on an incline, you don’t stay still—you roll backward into complacency and hypocrisy. Hell is hot, time is short, and we have work to do.

Jesus did not call us to be comfortable; He called us to be missional. He did not call us to be safe; He called us to take up our cross, deny ourselves, and follow Him. You might stumble. You might say something clumsy. You might reach out to a neighbor and have the door slammed in your face. That’s okay! Leave the results to God, but pursue Him with everything you have. Let’s be people after His own heart and watch what He does.

Let’s pray together.

Father, thank You for the life of David. While we readily see his flaws and relate to his brokenness, we also see his undeniable passion and relentless pursuit of You. I pray that You would plant that very same seed of holy passion in our hearts today. Give us the courage to lay down our pride, lay down our self-centeredness, and step out of our comfortable routines into the great adventure of pursuing Christ. Blow us wherever You will by Your Spirit. May we be faithful to proclaim Jesus and seek You with everything in us, so that we too may be known as men and women after Your own heart. We need You to lead us. We pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.