Psalm themes

Psalm 63:¹ O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water.
² I have seen you in your sanctuary
and gazed upon your power and glory.
³ Your unfailing love is better than life itself;
how I praise you!
⁴ I will praise you as long as I live,
lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
⁵ You satisfy me more than the richest feast.
I will praise you with songs of joy.

 

Having listened to a number of psalms recently I begin to pick up on some themes that keep coming back. There is evil and darkness and there are enemies. These forces and people keep coming after the writer of the Psalms (usually David). There are prayers for deliverance and there is frustration in the waiting process when evil appears to win, but there is ultimate confidence that the evil will disappear. Their influence and power are limited to this natural place and God will destroy that influence and wipe the evil away. The Lord is the source of life, of all Creation and through our trust in Him we find joy. Joy comes from all He does on our behalf, but joy comes also from waiting quietly in His presence. Joy gives way to praise and there are times of music and clapping and even shouting praise! Psalm 63 (first verses quoted above) touches on the deep ways that God quenches our inner thirst. I especially love verse 3: "Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you!"

 

blessings,

Rob Smith