Psalm 63: Lessons Learned Waiting in the Wilderness

Judean Wilderness, Photo: Greg K. Dueker

When we experience God’s goodness, even while waiting in the wilderness, there are some lessons we should learn or be reminded of. Times of hardship and testing are for the purpose of preparing us for the purpose God has ordained. Their instruction sets us up for the win. However, we have to be attuned to their message.

As our trust in Christ Jesus is strengthened, there are at least seven simple lessons/reminders expressed in this psalm that, if implemented, will be a blessing to us and to those we share life with. I will briefly describe those that I have noticed.

1. Realize that we thirst for God more than water (v.1)

Oneonta Falls, Photo Cliff Fahey

Amid wandering in the arid wilderness, trying to avoid the psycho King Saul, David had used his physical thirst as a metaphor and shifted his longing to the Lord rather than mere water. When his mighty men snuck into the enemy camp to draw water from the well of his hometown, David was overwhelmed and poured it out to the Lord. The situation depicted here in Psalm 63 is likely from a time later in his life when he fled from his rebellious son, Absalom. He knows what it is to be thirsty, to have his body faint with longing. His heart's desire was not to be returned to Jerusalem but to be in the presence of God. He emphasizes dehydration imagery to convey his urgency. For followers of Jesus, the bottom line is that we need Jesus more than anything else!

Sometimes, when all our physical needs are met, we realize that we are still thirsty. The things of this world may promise much, but they can never quench our thirst for God. It is no accident that, at the very end of the Bible, the Spirit and the Bride invite those who are thirsty to come and drink!

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. (Rev. 22:17)

2. Recognize that His love is better than anything else.

When we see God as he really is, and how he has shown his goodness in our lives, we can proclaim with David, “Your steadfast love is better than life!” (v.2-3) Jesus later taught that if we love our life more than following Jesus, then we will lose it.

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matt. 16:24-26)

Why would we willingly lay down our lives to follow Christ? Only one answer suffices; it is not a result of impressive willpower on our part but because we are convinced, on a heart-level, that his love is better on every level than the love we might seek elsewhere.

3. Respond in worshipful obedience even before the situation resolves.

What does the psalmist mean when he declares, “In your name will I lift up my hands…” (v.4)? Is this referring to his exuberant religious expression in the sanctuary, or does this mean that whatever he lifts his hands to perform will be done in a way consistent with the name(s) of God? It is both. Certainly, His power and love cause me to praise him! However, to “lift up my hands” is not just raising them when singing in church, but referring to everything I do being in accordance with God's name/character. Some weeks, this is a tall order to fill, but the more I know Him, the more I desire my life to align with his name.

4. Remember that complete satisfaction is found in the Lord.

A Wedding Feast, 2022.
Photo: Greg K. Dueker

As I am writing this post, we have just come through Thanksgiving and are now celebrating
Christmas, and there is lots of feasting! However, as satisfying as it is to spend time with friends and family and eat a lot of rich food, I have to agree with the psalmist about the location of true satisfaction.

“My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food” (v.5) is aptly appropriate for this Christmas season. We tend to eat more than we should during this time of year, and with the busyness, we spend less time in the Word than normal. Yet, my heart knows from experience that it is in the Lord where I find complete satisfaction. Everything else over-promises and under-delivers. In Christ, all the promises of God find their yes. As it is written,

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. (2 Cor. 1:20-22)

5. Review His goodness to us regularly (v.6-7)

In the phrase, “when I remember you upon my bed” (v.6), our thoughts drift towards the Lord even as we drift towards sleep, for he has been our help (v.7). Do we think about God not just when we get up in the morning but also when we lie down? It is helpful to use those quiet moments to review his goodness to us in both large and small ways each day. Gratitude is therapeutic as well as good manners. 

For those whose situation leaves them up and unable to sleep, it is comforting to direct our thoughts towards our sweet Savior. As Derek Kidner commented,

“If the wilderness of verse 1 sharpened his appetite for God, his wakefulness through the watches of the night (an expression which stresses the slow progress of the hours) enlisted time and thought for the same Lord.”[1]

What could be a better use of time in those hours when sleep is elusive?

6. Remain in His presence and cling to Him (v.8)

Raphael's Healing of the Beggar (1515)

My soul clings to you;
    your right hand upholds me.

Verse 8 reminds me of the narrative in Acts 3, where Peter and John healed a lame beggar and lifted him from the ground. After the healed man walked, leaped, and praised God, he clung to Peter and John. So why do we cling? Is it because we are so filled with gratitude that we must express it, or is it because we are afraid of having to stand on our own? I want to be filled with gratitude more than with fear. Yet, Jesus Christ is certainly the One who holds us up and keeps us from falling each day.

7. Refocus on the Big Picture

But those who seek to destroy my life
            shall go down into the depths of the earth;
    they shall be given over to the power of the sword;
    they shall be a portion for jackals. (vv.9-10)

We need to refocus on the big picture and take the larger perspective to heart. What are the ends to which we are headed? David, though at the time of writing was a fugitive and political refugee, looked at the future end of his enemies and saw their death (by the sword) and the grave (or eaten by jackals scavenging their unburied bodies) as their certain end.[2] In that culture, as in most, “for a body to be left unburied was a dreaded misfortune.”[3]

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

After which his mood rebounded as he reiterated that his joy was in God’s faithfulness and that eventually all lies would stop (i.e., when the liars are silenced). In a way, David was saying that those who live by the sword will be stopped by the sword of judgment, and likewise, those who live by the lie would be silenced by the sword of truth.

But the king shall rejoice in God;
    all who swear by him shall exult,
    for the mouths of liars will be stopped. (v.11)

Does v.11 encourage us to tell the truth? I hope so!

In troubling times, whether we face active threats or are simply waiting in the wilderness for God's direction and deliverance, let us make this ancient Psalm of Confidence our own and put its simple declarations into practice… just in time for the New Year!

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[1] Derek Kidner, Psalms 1-72, 229.

[2] [Jackals] are the final scavengers, consuming the remains of the kill rejected by larger beasts. The wicked are, in other words, the very leavings of mankind. [G. S. Cansdale, Animals of the Bible, pp. 124-126. Quoted by Kidner in his commentary on this psalm.

[3] Marvin E. Tate, WBC Psalms 51-100, p. 128.