I Hunger and Thirst After You

     " 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) I love this verse in Psalm 63. It speaks of how our desire should be for the Lord. Just look at the words the psalmist uses: words like 'earnestly' and 'thirsts' and 'faints'. Those are strong words!
     The psalmist begins by making a declaration of faith. 'O God, you are MY God"! He is our personal God. He already knows everything there is to know about each one of us but He wants us to know more about Him. He wants to spend time with us alone. He wants us to know His Word. He wants our relationship with Him to be our priority.
     The psalmist says he 'earnestly' seeks the Lord. The dictionary defines 'earnest' as 'marked by or showing deep sincerity or seriousness". We are to seek the Lord with all sincerity. Christ doesn't want a casual relationship with us. He wants us to have a deep committed relationship that we take seriously.
     The verse goes on to say 'my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you as in a dry and weary land where there is no water." What strong imagery! When we hunger for the things of the Lord, nothing else will satisfy. There is an old, old chorus that goes like this: 'turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth, will grow strangely dim, in the light of His beauty and grace.' When Jesus is number one in our life, everything else pales in comparison. When we focus on Him and following after Him, according to His way and not our own, then our desires will be for Him.
     If a person who is lost in the desert is suddenly found, the rescuers don't give him a glass of vinegar. No, they would give him water. When we are thirsty for the Lord, only the Living Water will satisfy. Sometimes in our life we can fall away from serving the Lord in the way He wants to be served and we try other pathways. We soon find that they only lead to unhappiness and leave us feeling unsatisfied.
     When we put God first in our life and make Him our priority we will have a blessed life. "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."—Matthew V.6.