A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
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; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me. But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes. But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped. Psalms 63:1-11 KJV
My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Psalms 84:2 KJV
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6 KJV
1. THE CHURCH HAS BEEN COMMISSIONED TO BE WITNESSES UNTO HIM.
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:18-20 KJV
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. Mark 16:15-20 KJV
Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. Luke 24:45-49 KJV
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:8 KJV
2. IT'S DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO BE MOTIVATED TO REACH OUT TO LOST SOULS UNLESS THEY ARE SERIOUSLY SEEKING AFTER GOD!
David recognized the futility of his of his efforts apart from the all consuming presence of God:
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Psalms 51:7-13 KJV
Instead of only looking at David's sin should look at God's mercy!
Jesus pointed out the need to abide in Him:
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:5 KJV
We can’t help but shine if we are lights and we are lights only as we tarry in His presence! Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16 KJV
If we are to be reflectors and radiators of the LIGHT then of necessity we should be in the presence of the light and the light should be in us.
In order to effectively reflect the Light we should present ourselves to be clean and perfect before Him.
In order to effectively radiate the Light we should present ourselves to be clean and transparent before Him.
Simply attending church services does not cut it. It is vital to dwell in His presence!
3. GOD PROMISES US THAT WE WILL FIND HIM BUT ONLY WHEN WE HAVE SOUGHT FOR HIM WITH ALL OUR HEART!
But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. Deuteronomy 4:29 KJV
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. Jeremiah 29:11-14 KJV
When church is just a structure that we visit it becomes tedious, boring and a place to ignore and avoid! When it becomes an event in our lives we look forward to it for there we meet with souls of like mind, there we worship and praise our Father with abandon, there we enter into the very presence of the Almighty Who loves us and calls us His children! The children of eternal royalty meet with the Eternal One! We then live in anticipation of each event rather than seek every flimsy excuse to stay away! It is our eagerness and joyful anticipation at being in His presence that excites God and tips His hands on our behalf.
It’s like the song says:
I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all
I'll stand my soul Lord to you surrendered
All I am is Yours
There was something significant, special and striking about David’s relationship with God.
But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee. 1 Samuel 13:14 KJV
And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. Acts 13:22 KJV
A man after God’s own heart: a man inclined towards the same things…they had the same things in common! Maybe it was because David was a seeker after God and so hungry for the things of God that he simply locked in on God liked a homing device that kept relentlessly on its target and goal!
Where was David when he composed that psalm? Was it in the temple where the atmosphere was geared towards worship of God? Was it in his study where there was no other distraction? Was it among people who were of like mind and desire? Was it in a nice, safe and cozy corner with a cheery atmosphere?
No! David was in the wilderness of Judah in the company of a band of rough, tough, malcontents who was once ready to slay him when their families were taken by the Amalekites who invaded Ziklag! David was a fugitive running for his life from Saul the king of Israel! Right there in the unfriendly, dry and thirsty land where there was scarcely any water!
Right there where he was in danger from both friend and foe not to mention the unfriendly environment David became more possessive declaring “YOU ARE MY GOD!” With painstaking diligent earnestness I will seek you! My soul is thirsty God, for you! My flesh is pining for you God! I want to see your power and your glory here just like in the sanctuary! Your lovingkindness is better than life! As we read on we are amazed at David’s disposition and desire despite the circumstances. It brings to mind another psalm! When David had to pretend to be mad in order to escape the Philistine king, he sang “I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalms 34:1 KJV
4. LET’S BEWARE LEST WE ERECT TOO MANY BARRIERS AGAINST HIM
It is noteworthy (in reference to the temple) that what impressed man as a pinnacle of achievement and accomplishment failed to even elicit a raised eyebrow of wonder from God.
Sometimes we can become too preoccupied with the structure itself rather that who it’s for!
What are we building? A place for meeting or a place of worship? A place for us or a place for Him? Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20 KJV
How many times we have erected veils and barriers to intimacy with God?! How God longs to remove those veils and barriers!
God would like to have every veil that man has erected removed so there can be full two way access between God and His children! Let's examine and see the veils and barriers we have been constantly either consciously or unconsciously erecting between us and our Father!
Can you picture in your mind's eye the Father walking into the temple, taking hold of the veil after Jesus' death, and ripping it completely from top to bottom? Can you see the wide smile even in that moment of pain anguish and sorrow as He physically demonstrates what His Son just accomplished on the Cross? Full unrestricted access through the Blood right into the very throne room of God and completed access to the mercy seat!
David’s zeal for God had him dancing until his wife Michal despised him! What kind of dignity is that for the king? We despise and look down on spiritual exuberance and become like Michal who despised David when she saw him dancing with all his might before Yahweh! The result is that we are left barren and cold in our intellectual stance and studied dignity.
It is interesting that Michal’s father Saul ruled Israel for 40 years and never thought about bringing the ark of the LORD back into the center of the nation! As soon as David was established king he brought the ark back so intense was his desire for God to be in the center of his life and that of his country!
A church that moves away from intimacy with the Lord will soon find itself in a state of barrenness! As beloved children of a beloved Father we should have a heart of abandon in our worship of Him! Our civilized demeanor fades into insignificance as we contemplate the infertile atmosphere full of sound and fury yet signifying nothing!
When we place value on our dignity over His deity we end up with formality over fervency and pretense over power.
We need to seek after the Holy Flame of His Presence in order to activate the Warmth of His Worship thus presenting the Glory that gathers people to Him.
Don't become too concerned about the approval of men that it prevents you from pursuing the presence of God.
Do we recognize and welcome the time of our visitation from The Lord?
And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. Luke 19:41-44 KJV
How often we are like the character in the Song of Solomon!
I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. Song of Solomon 5:2-6 KJV
We’re reluctant to stop what we are doing, reluctant to inconvenience ourselves, reluctant to take the necessary steps to receive Him in fellowship. How often hasn't He knocked on our doors only to have us ignore Him completely or give Him a half hearted token of acknowledgment? The latch of the door is on our side and He stands on the other side!
We delayed too long and He's moved on!
God you move in your sovereignty as you will. We can but anticipate eagerly and cry out determinedly and unceasingly until we get a response from you!
