Psalm 63:1–8 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 63:1–8 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1O God, you are my God, 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.
Verse 2So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
Verse 3Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
Verse 4So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
Verse 5My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
Verse 6when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
Verse 7for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
Verse 8My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
Devotion
I think it is fair to say that at this point in a pandemic that has engulfed our world, our souls are longing for something more. When we look out into our communities there is an exhausted collective body looking back at us.
Our psalmist today is giving us a place to rest. Three different times in our text we hear from the depths of the soul. In verse 1, the psalmist cries, “My soul thirsts for you,” and God is our sanctuary. In verse 5 we hear, “My soul is satisfied,” and God’s promise is abundant. In verse 8, “My soul clings to you,” and God is our refuge. I know our souls are weary, but God is holding us up and piecing us together one day at a time. May today be a place of rest for your soul and tomorrow bring a new day of hope.
Prayer
Holy God, be a refuge for our weary souls and bring us to the feast of your grace. Be our sanctuary in this storm and a place of rest for our souls. In Christ, your Son, we pray. Amen.