My Soul Thirsts for God

5 I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done. 6 I lift my hands to you in prayer. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. – Psalm 143:5-6 (NLT)

David is thinking back on God’s faithfulness and how He has supported him in difficult circumstances in the past. He is meditating, deliberately focusing on God’s goodness and His great works. Realizing that God will keep acting faithfully now and, in the future, brings reassurance, for God is truly trustworthy.

David is raising his empty hands to God in verse 6. In order to reach out spiritually and acknowledge our dependence on God, we must also raise our hands in prayer. We declare our faith in God’s strength and power while acknowledging our weakness and realizing that we cannot do it on our own.

You are my God. I worship you. In my heart, I long for you, as I would long for a stream in a scorching desert. Psalm 63:1 (CEV)

We long for the Lord, or as David says, we thirst for the Lord. We yearn for His guidance and help. It is a spiritual thirst, a deep longing in our hearts to draw close to the Lord and to experience a true spiritual life. We yearn for His presence, guidance, and righteousness. For God our Father defends us, sustains us, and rescues us. When we actively seek God and trust in Him, He will satisfy the thirst of our souls.

I remembered the old days,
went over all you’ve done, pondered the ways you’ve worked,
Stretched out my hands to you,
as thirsty for you as a desert thirsty for rain. – Psalm 143:5-6 (MSG)

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Our Heavenly Father, we remember and thank You for Your faithfulness to us. We marvel at Your power, Your mighty works, and Your grace. We lift our hands and hearts to you for You are our hope, our strength and our redeemer. As plants thirst for water to survive, we thirst for You and Your guidance. In Jesus holy name. Amen

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O God, you are my God; earnestly 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. Psalm 63:1 (ESV)

David was weary, thirsty, and pursued by enemies, and he longed for God. He earnestly seeks Him; His soul thirsts for the Lord. David’s first response when in dire need in the wilderness of Judah, a dry, parched land, was to turn to God. David’s priority was the Lord.
He states, “earnestly I seek you, for God; you are my God.” The dry, overwhelming desert he was facing in his life made David hunger and thirst for God, for His presence and grace.

God—you’re my God!
I can’t get enough of you!
I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God,
traveling across dry and weary deserts. Psalm 63:1 (MSG)

Only God can provide the comfort and sustenance we desperately need, when we face the parched weary deserts of life, He is with us.

^2-4So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open,
drinking in your strength and glory.
In your generous love I am really living at last! Psalm 63:2-4 (MSG)

Seeking God, thirsting for Him, drinking in His strength and glory, accepting His generous love, and making Him your priority, then you are really living at last.

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Prayer: Oh Lord, our God, our Heavenly Father, we earnestly seek You. The deserts of life scorch and drain us our souls thirst for You. You are our strength and comfort, our salvation. As the Mandavilia flower opens in the sun, let our hearts be open and follow Your son Jesus. Amen

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