Devotional Word for Tuesday, March 24, 2020
How are you handling all the restrictions associated with the Coronavirus? Many of the activities, routines, people, and places we took for granted are now shut out of our lives. While we are thankful for the amazing means of communication now available [including this devotional video], doing a Skype or Facetime session with your kids or grandkids is not the same as live and in-person. The small group my wife and I are part of, did not meet last evening, though we were scheduled to do so. All of these things combined can cause a dryness to our souls. I’ve experienced that; perhaps you have as well.
That’s why Pat and I were especially thankful for Psalm 63’s opening verse this morning as part of our devotional time together. Listen to these words:
O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;
My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,
In a dry and weary land where there is no water.
As we read those words, my soul was saying, “Yes, Lord, that’s my heart as well.” When David speaks of a “dry and weary land” he is describing the condition of his soul. I don’t know about you, but I can identify with that! When you’re thirsty, you long for refreshment, for a glass of cold, wonderful water. For David that water is found in the presence of the Lord. That’s why he begins the Psalm with the exclamation that God is his God, and he, David, is going to seek God. He’s going to seek God, not casually, but earnestly.
Are you there yet, are you at the place where you want to seek God earnestly? And if you are there, how are you going to do so? That’s a very good question! David supplies his answer:
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You.
So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.
My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praise with joyful lips.
That is very good advice! David reflects on the goodness of God, His grace and lovingkindness, and then determines to give voice to it. You and I should do the same. Has the Coronavirus restrictions made your soul feel at times like a dry and desert land? Well, welcome to the club!
Here’s what Pat and I did this morning: we sang a couple of hymns. I chose How Great Thou Art. I would just about bet dollars to donuts that you can sing at least the first verse from memory. Some of you can sing the entire hymn from memory. It is a wonderful, cool drink of water for a dry and thirsty soul.
Pat chose Great is Thy Faithfulness. I imagine you can sing the first verse of this hymn from memory as well. As you sing it – out loud or in your mind – let the words and thoughts wash across your soul with the reassurance that God remains God, He is faithful. There is no shadow of turning with Him. I encourage us to water the gardens of our souls by reading, reflecting on, and singing some hymns or praise songs or choruses. It’s a good way to seek God.
Let’s pray: O God, You are our God, and we earnestly seek You. Cause Your face to shine on us. We are weary from the Coronavirus, its threats, and its restrictions. But You are mightier than it. Lord Jesus, we know You are seated on the throne far above all this. It is under Your control. Help us to walk in faith; help us to persevere; help us continue to be aware of How Great You Are, of How Faithful You Are. Thank You for Your mercies. In Jesus’ name. Amen.