MY SOUL FOLLOWETH HARD AFTER THEE

PSALM 63

SCRIPTURE READING

Please click PSALM 63

INTRODUCTION

David was trained in the pursuit of godliness by the providence of God in the wilderness. He was a fugitive, living in constant threat to his life. It was there in the wilderness that he was taught the lesson of spiritual discipline to be constantly in touch with his God. He wrote many psalms recounting his spiritual encounters with God. David learned how to deal with his emotions, his depression and his weariness in the wilderness.

(1) David sought God early (v 1a ).

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee. It showed a determined heart. It is in the intensive stem with emphasis of seeking and desiring after God. That thirst and hunger after righteousness is a sure sign of an awakened conscience to the need of the soul. He realizes his need for God. He confessed, "My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is."

Spurgeon made a good observation concerning our spiritual need when he wrote commenting on Psalm 42:1 "As the hart panteth after the water brooks.", "A camel does not pant after water brooks, because it carries its own water within. But the hart does, because it has no inward resources. After being hunted on a hot day, it has no inward supplies; it is drained of its moisture. So are we. We do not carry a store of grace within of our own on which we can rely. We need to come again and again and again to the divine fountain and drink of the eternal spring. Hence it is because we have a new life, and that life is dependent on God, and has all its fresh springs in Him, therefore we pant and thirst after Him" (Edited).

Illustration (1)

Like David, who realize that God is able to help him out of his troubles, the missionary Hudson Taylor shares about his testimony why he maintains his daily quiet time:-

In a dark moment of his life, Hudson Taylor wrote: "It doesn't matter how great the pressure lies - whether it comes between you and God or whether it presses you nearer His heart." Feeling the pressure today? Beginning to get the under-the pile blues? As you pray today, shift your shoulders to God's. He can handle it. He cares about you! Turn this quiet time of devotion into a pressure-release experience."

(2) David sought to see the glory and power of God (v 2 )

He has experienced the goodness of God in his life. He has experienced the care of God for him. He realizes the ability of God to help him in the dangers that he is facing daily in the wilderness.

Illustration (2)

A Christian writer describes the personal quiet time like this:-

"What comes from God for it is impossible for humans to manufacture it? Wisdom. What comes from humans because it is impossible for the Lord to experience it? Worry. And what is it that brings wisdom and dispels worry? Worship. Let nothing frighten you.nothing from yesterday's past, today's present, or tomorrow's future. Nothing."

This experience is understood by David while he was a fugitive in the wilderness. He cultivated the habit of seeking God waiting upon God to help him.

(3) David lifted his hand in prayer (v 3-4 )

David has experienced the lovingkindness of God in his life. God loves and cares for him. The outworking of God's love is His compassion in showing a way of our difficulties. He recounted past faithfulness of God. He will continue to praise and bless God while he lives. He has a relationship with God that is so precious and valuable to him. God is praiseworthy for He is the giver of life. The life that he has is from God.

Prayer is power. He gave his petitions and troubles to God.

(4) David experienced answers from God (v 5 )

"My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips."

The blessings of God that came to him gave strength and prosperity to his soul. We must seek God ourselves to experience this blessing.

(5) David is strengthened and rejoices when he remembered the promises of God and meditate upon them (v 6-7 )

Psalm 1:2 "But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."

To mediate is to ponder, consider carefully, think over with carefulness, with deliberateness. Let me illustrate the process of meditation from an unclean animal in the bible, the hare - a member of the rabbit family, it chews the cud; it does not have a split hoof. Chewing the cud means that an animal chew its food, swallows its food, swallows it and digests it part-way in the stomach. Then the food is returned to the mouth where the animal chew it a second time and then swallows it to be digested the rest of the way in its stomach. This provides an illustration of the process of meditation, it is a slow process where the nutrients are slowly absorbed, its essence and its whole.

Realization

(a) Because He is God (v 1a )

(b) His thirsty soul may be filled (v 1b )

(c) A weary body may be refreshed (v 2 )

(d) He may see God's power and glory (v 3a )

(e) Recount past faithfulness of God (v 3b ,7 )

(f) God loves and cares for him (v 3a )

(g) God is praiseworthy for He is the giver of life (v 4b )

(h) He shall receive nourishment for his soul - marrow and fatness (v 5a )

(i) It gives him joy in the heart (v 5b )

(j) God favours him - What a friend He has in Jesus! (v 8b )

(6) Determination and Resolve in his heart (v 8 )

Verse 8 says, "My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me." The verb "follow hard" literally means "to cling, to cleave". What is the motivation that gave him the strength to cling and cleave to God? The literal translation, "My soul cleaved to Thee, for Thy right hand supported me." (Psalm 63:8 ).

Like what the Apostle Paul said to Timothy, in "exercise thyself.unto godliness" (1Timothy 4:7 ). The word "exercise" "γυμνάζω" means "train, exercise, work out vigorously", to sweat it out. This is the New Testament metaphor for "discipline". Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 "And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." The word "strive" "ἀγωνίζομαι" is "to engage in an (athletic) contest, fight, struggle, strive, strain every nerve, toil, sweat it out."

David learned how important his spiritual and physical well-being is linked to his devotion to his God. Therefore he spared no effort to seek God with all his heart.

(7) The righteous is not forsaken but vindicated (v 9-11 )

"Here we find David rising to a more assured confidence, and triumphing as if he had already obtained the victory. And there is every reason to believe, that though he had escaped his difficulties, and was in circumstances of peace and prosperity when he wrote this psalm, yet he only expresses what he actually felt at the critical period when his life was in such imminent danger. He declares his conviction that the enemies who eagerly sought his life would be cut off; that God would cast them headlong into destruction; and that their very bodies should be left without burial. To be the portion of foxes, is the same thing with being left to be torn and devoured by the beasts of the field. It is often denounced as one judgment which should befall the wicked, that they would perish by the sword, and become the prey of wolves and of dogs, without privilege of sepulture. This is a fate which the best of men have met with in the world, - for good as well as bad are exposed to the stroke of temporal evil; - but there is this distinction, that God watches over the scattered dust of his own children, gathers it again, and will suffer nothing of them to perish, whereas, when the wicked are slain, and their bones spread on the field, this is only preparatory to their everlasting destruction." (Calvin)

PASS ME NOT

[As earnest Christian pastor told of a young man about whom he had long felt much anxiety, as he had seemed so unconcerned about his soul, and was, in reality, a real cause of disturbance and interruption in classes for other young men. Meeting him one day, the loving pastor sought once more to influence him, urging, "We want you for Christ and his service." There was a certain change in his manner which did not escape the eye of the prayerful watcher for souls, and-lacking time to do more-he seized the opportunity to secure the presence of his young friend at a Christian Endeavor meeting soon to be held. True to his promise he was there. When an opportunity was given for some of the young men to choose a song, it was seen that he was urging his companion to select some particular hymn. The other, yielding to his request, asked if the hymn, "Pass me not, O gentle Saviour," might be sung; and both young men joined in the singing with evident interest and heartiness. Later in the evening it was requested that all who were definitely on the Lord's side would confess their allegiance by standing. Whereupon the one over whom the heart of the pastor was specially yearning rose at once, and with decision.

"Tell me about your conversion," the thankful pastor requested at the close of the meeting, when hands were clasped in glad, brotherly welcome and recognition.

"Oh, yes," assented the other. "It was all through that hymn we have just sung. I was working on the canal at G-, and there was a meeting being held at the Mariner's Chapel, nearby. The words floated out over the water, and from the tug where I was working I could hear them plainly enough. When they were just going to sing those lines-`While on others Thou are calling, Do not pass me by!' a great fear came over me, and I thought, `Oh, if the Lord were to pass me by, how terrible it would be!' Then and there, on the tug, I cried out, `O Lord, do not pass me by.' And"-with a bright smile-"he didn't pass me by. I am saved.'"]