Psalm 63: Our Spiritual Longing

[0:00] Well, if we could, this evening, with the Lord's help and the Lord's enabling, if we could turn back to that portion of scripture that we read, the book of Psalms and Psalm 63.

[0:19] The book of Psalms, Psalm 63, I'd like us to just walk through this psalm, but if we read again at verse 1, Psalm 63 and verse 1, where David says, 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.

[0:56] The Keswick Convention, which is surrounded by the beautiful scenery of the Lake District, it has been running for the past 144 years.

[1:07] It started way back in 1875 on the front lawn of St. John's Parish Church in Keswick. And over the years, the convention has grown to be this three-week event with over 15,000 Christians passing through that little Cumbrian town during the convention.

[1:28] And to be honest, I could not recommend Keswick more to you. It's a brilliant place to go. I've been going almost every year since I became a Christian. And it's a great place to gather and worship with other Christians from all over Britain and even all over the globe.

[1:45] And you meet loads of people and you just get talking to them about where they're from and what church they're part of. But more than that, there's good teaching, along with lots of topical seminars that are relevant to the ever-changing world that we're living in.

[2:00] But there's also Christian holiday clubs for the children, and they're there for all ages, for all aged children, as well as there's two large bookshops so you can spend a fortune on buying books, which I always seem to do.

[2:14] But you know, the Keswick Convention is a great place to go during the summer holidays, and this year was, well, it was no different. Because, as many of you know, we spent our summer holiday in Keswick.

[2:25] And the theme for this year's convention was the theme longing. It was the theme longing, and it was a brilliant theme to consider. And the blurb which the convention had in order to explain why they chose the theme longing, this is what they wrote.

[2:41] They said, So when our desires lead us astray, it doesn't mean that desire itself is wrong. Rather, we are longing for the wrong things.

[2:55] And ultimately, whether we know it or not, our longing is for God. And only a relationship with Jesus Christ will truly satisfy that longing. Therefore, our spiritual longing speaks of a yearning for completeness in Christ.

[3:13] You know, God has made us for himself. God has made us for his own glory. And as Solomon reminds us in Ecclesiastes, God has put eternity in our hearts.

[3:26] We have been created with this longing. This longing to find satisfaction. And sadly, as we know only too well, people try to fulfill the longing of their heart and find satisfaction in anything and even everything.

[3:44] Whether it's work, or family, or money, or holidays, or drink, or drugs, or entertainment. Whatever it is, there's this longing in all of us. This seeking to try and find fulfillment and satisfaction.

[4:00] But the truth is, and as Christians we know it only too well. We'll only fulfill the desire of our hearts. And find the satisfaction we need for our souls.

[4:12] Through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And that's what David is describing in this well-known psalm, Psalm 63. David is describing his spiritual longing.

[4:25] Where he's longing to be more like the God he loves and worships. He's longing to see less of himself. And more of the God who has made him for his own purposes and glory.

[4:39] David's longing is that Jesus would increase. And that he would decrease. And so as we consider David's spiritual longing for God. I want us to see that we too, this evening, we need to share in David's spiritual longing.

[4:55] Through a relationship with Jesus Christ. And I just want us to consider this psalm under four headings. Four headings. Longing after God. Looking to God.

[5:08] Living for God. And leaning upon God. Longing after God. Looking to God. Living for God. And leaning upon God.

[5:19] That's what Psalm 63 is all about. So first of all, we're looking at longing after God. Longing after God. We'll read the title and then verse one. We were told there, it's a psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

[5:34] 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.

[5:46] Now it's not very clear at what point in David's life that this psalm was written. And as you can see in the title, we're told that Psalm 63 was written when David was in the wilderness of Judah.

[5:59] But it's not even clear when that was. We don't really know when David was in the wilderness of Judah. Some commentators have suggested that Psalm 63 was written when David was on the run.

[6:11] He was fleeing from his son Absalom. Absalom was wanting to kill him. But even that suggestion is not very clear. But I want to make another suggestion as to the title of the psalm.

[6:24] Because if the psalm is all about David's spiritual longing. If it's all about the yearning of his heart to know more about the God he loves and worships. Then it's a psalm not really about persecution.

[6:37] It's a psalm all about praise. David wants to give God his wholehearted praise. And what's interesting about the title. Although it's translated here as a psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

[6:51] The interesting thing about Hebrew is that it could also be translated as David's psalm when his mouth was full of praise. David's psalm when his mouth was full of praise.

[7:07] And you know that understanding of the title it certainly sheds light on the context and even the content of the whole psalm. That psalm 63 is a psalm of praise as David longs to know more about the God he loves and worships.

[7:22] And you know we can even see that from the opening words of this psalm. Where David he just comes before God and says, Oh God you are my God. What a statement.

[7:33] Oh God you are my God. David claims the God of the Bible as his God because God is personal and God is precious to him.

[7:45] Oh God you are my God. And you know we see David saying that throughout many of the other psalms as well. We see David claiming God as his personal and precious God.

[7:57] We see it in Psalm 27 where David says, The Lord is my light. He is my salvation. He is the stronghold of my life. We see it in Psalm 62 where David says, He is the rock of my salvation.

[8:12] We see it in the well known psalm of Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. And David is saying it again here. Oh God you are my God. And you know is that not the testimony of the Christian?

[8:26] Is that not your testimony tonight as a Christian? That despite everything that may be going on in your life, you can say, Oh God you are my God. Even if you feel lonely, you know that you have him.

[8:40] Oh God you are my God. My friend, can you claim him? If you are unconverted here tonight, can you claim the God of the Bible as your God?

[8:51] Will you not claim him as your God? And declare that he is precious and personal to you? Can you make the testimony of the Christian tonight?

[9:02] Oh God, you are my God. Because it is only when you realise that this world and all that it offers, that it will never provide the satisfaction, or fulfil the longing that God alone can give.

[9:15] It is only then that you long to know this God more and more and more. And that is what David is saying here. Oh God you are my God.

[9:26] 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.

[9:37] And you know David here in verse 1, he uses three phrases to describe his deep longing for God. He says, earnestly I seek you.

[9:49] Earnestly I seek you. The authorised version translates it as, early will I seek thee. Early will I seek thee. Which in many ways is the same thing.

[10:01] But it is actually more descriptive in the authorised version. Because seeking God early in the morning, it expresses the idea of restlessness. Where David, he can't sleep.

[10:14] He can't rest. He can't relax. And I am sure you know the feeling well. You can't sleep because maybe there is a lot on your mind.

[10:24] You have got a lot of worries. You have got a lot planned for the day ahead. And you are restless. And instead of lying in bed, just staring at the ceiling, well you just get up early and you get the day going. And that is what David is expressing here.

[10:36] He longs to know his personal and precious God, so much that he can't rest. He's restless. He's restless to know God.

[10:46] And it's a question we need to ask ourselves tonight. Are we restless to know God more? Do we have this restlessness in our heart to know the God we love and worship more and more and more?

[11:02] Because, you know, it was the early church father, Augustine, he once prayed, it's a famous statement, You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.

[11:19] You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you. And that's what David is expressing here. He's expressing the longing in his heart and the restlessness in his soul and this yearning he has to know his precious and personal God more and more.

[11:42] But, you know, David, he doesn't even stop there by saying, early I seek you. He goes on to say, My soul, it thirsts for you. My flesh, it longs for you. Just like in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

[11:55] David, you could say, he's hungering and thirsting after God. He is a craving for the righteousness of God. And was it not Jesus who says in the Sermon on the Mount, Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

[12:13] And, you know, as Jesus affirms to us in the Gospel, he's the only one who can satisfy the longings of our soul and fulfill our deep desires. He says to us in the Gospel, I am the bread of life.

[12:27] He that comes to me shall never thirst. He that believes on me shall never hunger. And this is what David longed for. He longed to know more and more of Jesus.

[12:41] Is that not your longing as a Christian tonight? You know, David, you could say that David, he longed to love Jesus more deeply. He longed to walk with Jesus more closely.

[12:53] He longed to imitate Jesus more fervently. He longed to serve Jesus more faithfully. And my Christian friend, is that not the desire you have for your own Christian life?

[13:06] Are you not longing after God? Longing to loosen your grip upon sin and upon the world and longing to know Jesus more earnestly? Longing to know him more.

[13:19] You know, that was Paul's longing. Paul had this longing. You read about it in Philippians 3. He says, That I may know him. And the power of his resurrection.

[13:30] That was Paul's longing. And here's David's longing. He longs to know Jesus more. Do we have that? The longing to know Jesus more.

[13:42] To love him more earnestly. Are you not hungering and thirsting after righteousness? Are you not yearning to be more holy? Do you not desire to live out the fruit of the Spirit in your life more and more?

[13:58] Do you not long to be more loving towards other people? More joyful in the midst of struggles? More peaceful among your neighbours?

[14:08] More patient with those in your family? More kind towards strangers? Do you not long to emulate goodness? And display faithfulness? And demonstrate self-control? Do you not long to be more like Jesus?

[14:23] This Jesus who loved you. And gave himself for you. And you know, if you can say tonight, Well, I don't. I don't really long to be more like Jesus.

[14:36] I don't have this longing that you're speaking about. If you don't have this longing after God, then you need to ask yourself. Have I drifted from him? Or have I deserted him altogether?

[14:50] Do you have this longing after God? Because you know, we can only fulfil our longing after God when we start looking to God. And that's what we see secondly.

[15:02] Looking to God. Longing after God and looking to God. David says in verse 2, So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, Beholding your power and glory.

[15:16] Because your steadfast love is better than life. My lips will praise you. David knows that his longing after God can only be satisfied by looking to God.

[15:30] But it's not only David that knows this. Every Christian should know this. Because my Christian friend, if you've been saved by grace. If you've been cleansed in the blood of Christ.

[15:41] Adopted into the family of God. Effectually called, born again, redeemed, justified. And going through this process of sanctification. Then you know that the only way to find fulfilment.

[15:54] And experience satisfaction. And the satisfaction for your longing after God. You know that the only way for it to take place. Is by looking to God. As a Christian you know that you're not going to be satisfied.

[16:08] By the material wealth of this world. You're not going to be satisfied by the empty praise of others. And you're certainly not going to be satisfied. By all the love that your family and friends can give you.

[16:18] It's because it's not enough. As Augustine said, the Lord has made us for himself. And our hearts, they will continue to be restless.

[16:30] Until we're resting in him. But notice that when David was longing after God. He knew where he could find him.

[16:41] He knew where he could look to him. David knew where he could fulfil his longing. And satisfy the desire of his heart. Because David knew that he could find God in his sanctuary.

[16:54] That's what he says in verse 2. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary. Beholding your power and glory. David knew that when he looked to God in the sanctuary.

[17:07] He didn't see a God who was weak. And he didn't see a God who was wooden. No, David knew that his God was the creator of heaven and earth.

[17:18] He's the God who is displaying his glory and power. At all times. Through creation. And in salvation. And you know, I love this description that he has.

[17:30] Where he says he beholds his power and glory. Because it describes the strength. And the weightiness of God. You know the word glory.

[17:42] When you see it in the Bible. The word glory literally means heaviness. Or something that's heavy. It's describing the weightiness of God's glory.

[17:54] The weightiness of God's glory. As God's glory filled the temple sanctuary. With his presence. And that's where David is looking. In order to fulfil his longing.

[18:05] He's looking to the temple. He's looking to the place where God dwells. And he's beholding his power. And his glory. David, he's not looking to idols.

[18:15] He's not looking to the ideals. Or even the icons of this world. He is looking to his precious and personal saviour. And you know my friend. That's what we need to do.

[18:27] And that's what we need to keep doing. Throughout our Christian life. We need to take our eyes off all these idols. And these ideals. And these icons that the world showcases in front of us.

[18:39] And we need to long after. And look to our precious and personal saviour. Jesus Christ. We need to keep our eyes firmly fixed upon him.

[18:51] And behold his power. And his glory. And you know in order to be looking to God. We need to be doing what David did. Because by gathering in the sanctuary.

[19:05] You could say that David used the means of grace that were available to him. As he looked towards the sanctuary. I mentioned this morning J.C. Ryle's book Practical Religion.

[19:19] A brilliant book. Because as the title suggests it's very practical. But you know there's one emphasis that Ryle makes. And it recurs again and again throughout his book.

[19:31] And it's that in order for a Christian to grow and develop. And even to fulfil the longing that's in their heart. Is that they must make every use of the ordinary means of grace.

[19:43] They must make every use of the ordinary means of grace. And when J.C. Ryle refers to the means of grace. He actually refers to five things. And he explains it every time he speaks about it.

[19:55] And the means of grace that he refers to. I think they're so important. Because they're sadly being neglected and even marginalised. In our day and generation. Because the means of grace as Ryle describes.

[20:09] They are simply reading the Bible. Public and private prayer. Attending church both ends on the Lord's Day and midweek. Partaking of the Lord's Supper.

[20:21] And honouring the Lord's Day. That is the means of grace. They are the ordinary means of grace. Through which we're given the opportunity. To satisfy the longings of our souls.

[20:35] By looking to our God. And the truth is. If we neglect the means of grace. Without legitimate reason. We do so. And we're doing it.

[20:48] Because we're seeking after something else. We're trying to find satisfaction. Elsewhere. That's why we would neglect the means of grace. But it's only someone who uses the means of grace.

[21:00] Who will truly be able to confess. With David in verse 3. Because your steadfast love. Is better than life. My lips will praise you. Because your steadfast love.

[21:12] Is better than life. My lips will praise you. And you know what a statement. To be able to say that God's covenant love. Is better than life itself.

[21:24] To say that God's unchanging. Unwavering. Unceasing. Love. Is better than life. And you know. What a statement to make.

[21:36] But is that not. Even what the apostle Paul said. The Christian's hope is. That by longing after God. And by looking to God. The Christian can say. I am persuaded.

[21:49] That neither death. Nor life. Nor angels. Nor principalities. Nor powers. Nor things present. Nor things to come. Neither height. Nor depth. Nor any other creature. Is able to separate me.

[22:00] From the love of God. Which is in Christ Jesus. My Lord. Since better is thy love. Than life. That's what Paul was saying.

[22:10] That's what David is saying. But is that what you are saying. Since better is thy love. Than life. Can you say that you've come to discover.

[22:21] The covenant love of God. And that you know it to be better. Than life itself. That should be our longing. To be able to say. Since better is.

[22:31] Thy love. Than life. But even though David knew. That God's love is better than life. And even better than all the challenges.

[22:42] That he's faced with. David was convinced. That he had to live for God. In this world. And that's what we see thirdly. We see living for God. Longing after God.

[22:54] Looking to God. And living for God. Living for God. David says in verse 4. So I will bless you. As long as I live.

[23:05] In your name. I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied. As with fat and rich food. And my mouth will praise you. With joyful lips. When I remember you upon my bed.

[23:16] And meditate on you. In the watches of the night. For you have been my help. And in the shadow of your wings. I will sing for joy. You know.

[23:26] David has already confessed. That his mouth is full of praise. He wants to praise. His precious and personal God. But now David confesses. That the whole of his life.

[23:39] Must be a life of praise. Ascribed to his precious and personal God. And you know. We can see that. Because in these verses. David. He uses lots and lots of phrases. To describe this desire he has.

[23:52] To live a life of praise. He wants to live a life of praise. To the Lord. Because he says. At the beginning of verse 4. Lord. I will bless you. As long as I live.

[24:04] Literally he's saying. I will praise you. All my days. David is saying. I will bow down before you. In worship. As long as I have breath in my lungs.

[24:16] You know. David's. He's expressing this. Wholehearted faith. And commitment to the Lord. He's saying. My life. It's yours. I want to give you.

[24:27] My whole life. And then he says. In your name. In your name. I will lift up my hands. Not in the name of any God. Not in the name of any idol.

[24:38] Or any world view. But in your name. The name of the covenant God. The name of the Lord. In your name. I will lift up my hands. And you know.

[24:49] Sadly. As Presbyterians. We often associate. Lifting hands in worship. We associate it with Pentecostals. But the truth is. We're reminded here. By David. It's biblical.

[25:01] Because the lifting up. Of your hands in worship. It was. In the past. Then for the Jews. And. Even in the present. It's an outward expression. Of the heart.

[25:12] Now I'm not saying. You have to start lifting your hands. When we're singing. That's up to yourself. But you know. The heart. Is being expressed. By the hands. That's what David. Is saying here. He lifts up his hands.

[25:23] Because his heart. His heart. Is full. Of praise. For the Lord. His heart. Is seeking. To worship. And adore. His great God.

[25:35] And King. But David. He doesn't even stop there. He doesn't stop. Describing his life. Of praise. Because. He says in verse 5. My soul.

[25:46] Will be satisfied. As with fat. And rich food. And my mouth. Will praise you. With joyful lips. David says. My soul. Will be satisfied.

[25:56] With fat. And rich food. The authorized version. It rightly translates this. As marrow. And fatness. My soul. Shall be satisfied.

[26:07] With marrow. And fatness. Now the marrow. And the fat. In the old testament. When the sacrifices. Were given. At the temple. And the tabernacle.

[26:18] The marrow. And the fat. Was the only part. Of the animal sacrifice. That was. Which was given. To the Lord. It was the only part. Of the animal sacrifice. That wasn't eaten. And it wasn't eaten.

[26:29] Because it was seen. To be. The best part. The choicest part. The richest. Part. Of the animal. And so. What David is saying here. Is that that's how he wants his life to be.

[26:43] He wants to give. To his. Personal. And precious God. He wants to give to him. The best part of his life. The choicest part of his life. The richest.

[26:54] Part of his life. He wants to give. All that he has. To the Lord. In the words of the apostle Paul. David wanted to present his body. As a living sacrifice.

[27:06] Holy. And acceptable. Unto God. David wanted. To live a life of praise. To the Lord. Heart. Mind. Strength. And soul. He wanted the Lord.

[27:17] To have it all. Take my life. He's saying. And use it. My friend. Is that not how you want to live. Your Christian life. Saying to the Lord.

[27:29] Just. Use me. Use me. For your glory. Is that not how you want to spend. Your days upon the earth. Do you not have the same.

[27:40] Longing as David. To love the Lord. Your God. With all your heart. With all your mind. With all your soul. With all your strength. To love him. And live for him.

[27:51] To live this life. Of praise. Honor. And glory. To his name. All the days of your life. Is that not your longing. Do you not long.

[28:02] To be able to say. With David. So I will bless you. As long as I live. In your name. I will lift up my hands. My soul. It will be satisfied. With fat and rich food.

[28:13] And my mouth. Will praise you. With joyful lips. Do you not long. To live like that. That when you go to work. Every morning. Saying.

[28:23] I am living for the Lord. Because he. Died and lives for me. Is that not your longing. Is that not. What you want. To be able to say. That I am living for God.

[28:37] I am living for him. Because he lives for me. Well as David reminds us. We can only be living for God. When we are longing after God.

[28:49] And looking to God. We will only find satisfaction. And fulfillment in life. When we are living. Our life. For Jesus. And you know.

[29:00] When David was living for God. And when life. Took an unexpected turn. As it often does. You know. The greatest comfort he has. Was that his personal.

[29:13] And precious God. Was still with him. Even when life. Took the unexpected turns. He says in verse 6. When I remember you. Upon my bed.

[29:24] And meditate on you. In the watches of the night. You have been my help. And in the shadow of your wings. I will sing for joy. You know. In those nights.

[29:34] When David was restless. And unable to sleep. He found comfort. When he meditated. Upon the provision. And protection of the Lord. And have you not found that.

[29:47] To be true for yourself. That in those times. When you were restless. Unable to sleep. Maybe watching every hour. Of the clock. Longing for the sun to rise.

[29:58] And the morning to come. And you couldn't sleep. You were restless. Because maybe you were worried. About something. Worried about your health. Worried about your family. Worried. Worried about your finance.

[30:08] Worried about your friends. Or even your work. Whatever it was. These things kept you awake at night. But during the darkness of the night. The privilege that you have.

[30:19] As a Christian. Is that you're able to meditate upon the Lord. And cast all your cares upon him. Knowing. That he cares for you.

[30:30] And promises to sustain you. And you know. This is the beauty of prayer. That when you cry to the Lord. In the watches of the night. He reminds you.

[30:42] And he even reassures you. That he will be your provider. He will be your protector. And you know. I often wonder. Even for you.

[30:52] My unconverted friend. I often wonder. How you cope with life. When you don't have Jesus. I often wonder.

[31:02] How you get through life. How do people live. Without Jesus. In their life. Because. If we're not living for God.

[31:13] If we're not living for God. We don't know what it is to say. You have been my help. And in the shadow of your wings. I will sing for joy. I mean.

[31:25] The Christian can say that. That through everything. They've gone through in their life. They can say. You've been my help. And even in the shadows. In the darkness.

[31:36] You have been my joy. But you know. More than that. If you don't know. God for yourself. If you don't have a personal relationship. With Jesus Christ.

[31:48] You don't know what it is. To be leaning upon God either. But that's the wonder. Of the Christian life. We spend it leaning. Not upon ourselves. But upon God.

[31:58] And that's how David actually. Concludes the psalm. This psalm of praise. He concludes it. By saying. All his. Even though all his enemies. Are surrounding him. He is leaning upon God.

[32:11] He's leaning upon God. That's what we see here. Longing after God. He's looking to God. He's living for God. And then lastly. He's leaning upon God.

[32:22] He's leaning upon God. He says in verse 8. My soul clings to you. Your right hand. Upholds me. But those who seek to destroy. My life shall go down.

[32:33] Into the depths of the earth. They shall be given over. To the power of the sword. They shall be a portion. For jackals. But the king. Shall rejoice in God. All who swear by him.

[32:44] Shall exalt. For the mouths of liars. Will be stopped. You know. As David brings. This psalm of longing. And praise. To a conclusion. He makes a beautiful.

[32:55] Declaration. In the face of all his enemies. He says in verse 8. My soul clings to you. Your right hand.

[33:06] Upholds me. My soul clings to you. Your right hand. Upholds me. And it's a beautiful statement. Because the word clings. The word clings.

[33:17] Is the same word. That God used. To describe marriage. In Genesis 2. Therefore a man. Shall leave his father. And his mother. And shall cling. Or cleave.

[33:28] To his wife. And they shall be one. Flesh. You know. What David is saying here. Is my soul. He's talking about Jesus. My soul clings to you.

[33:40] My soul cleaves to you. My soul. Is in union with you. My soul. Is united. To you. That's a beautiful statement.

[33:50] About the hope of the Christian. That in anything. In life. Whatever comes our way. In life. You can say. My soul. Clings to you. But what's more.

[34:00] Is that David. Can not only say. My soul. Is in union with Christ. He can also say. Christ. Is upholding me. My soul. Is in union with Christ.

[34:10] But Christ. Is also upholding me. And in the words. Of the apostle Paul. David. Is just saying. I can do all things. Through Christ.

[34:21] Who strengthens me. Because. He's my helper. He's my rock. He's my fortress. He's my shield. He's my high tower.

[34:31] He's my keeper. He's the one. I'm in union with. And he promises. I'll never be separate. From him. And with this. David is confessing.

[34:42] He's saying. About Jesus. I am yours. And you are mine. And because of that. I can face all my enemies. And whoever David's enemies were.

[34:54] He knew that he could face them. Because he's leaning upon his beloved. He's leaning upon God. And my friend. Is that not our hope. And confidence tonight. That whatever enemies.

[35:04] You may be facing. Whether it's. Temptation from the world. Whether it's the desires. Of the flesh. Whether it's the attacks. Of the devil. Whether it's. The illnesses of life.

[35:15] Your hope and confidence. Is in the one. You are in union with. And the one. Who is upholding you. Son of Paul said.

[35:25] I am crucified. With Christ. Nevertheless. I live. Yet not I. But the life. That I now live. In the flesh. I live by faith. In the son of God.

[35:36] Who loved me. And gave himself for me. He lived every day. Knowing. My soul clings to you. And you uphold me. By your right hand. And that should be.

[35:47] Our statement tonight. My soul clings to you. Your right hand. Upholds me. And because of that. We should be able to conclude. This psalm of longing. By saying with David.

[35:58] The king shall rejoice in God. All who swear by him. Shall exalt. For the mouths of liars. Will be stopped. David confesses.

[36:08] In the closing. Verse. That because he's longing. Looking after God. And looking to God. And living for God. And leaning upon God. David says that he will rejoice.

[36:20] In God. All the days of his life. But David also says that. All who have the same. Spiritual longing. Everyone. Who has this. Same longing.

[36:31] In their life. To know. The God they love. And worship. He says. They will all. Swear by him. They will swear by him. They will confess the name of Christ.

[36:41] That he's their precious. And personal God. You know. Is that not our spiritual longing tonight? Is that not what we want? We want to confess the name of Jesus.

[36:53] And say that. We long to love Jesus more deeply. To walk with him more closely. To lean upon him more consistently. To imitate him more fervently.

[37:03] And to serve him more faithfully. Is that not our spiritual longing? To know more and more of Jesus. That he would increase. That we would decrease.

[37:15] Is that not our longing? Because you know. It was the well known hymn writer. William Cowper. He actually describes the longing.

[37:26] That David speaks of here. When he wrote. Oh for a closer walk with God. A calm and heavenly frame. A light to shine upon the road.

[37:38] That leads me. To the lamb. Now that should be our longing. As Christians. Oh for a closer walk with God.

[37:50] My friend. Psalm 63 should remind. All of us. That we have a spiritual longing. That God has placed in our heart. And it will only be satisfied.

[38:02] When we are longing after God. And looking to God. And living for God. And leaning upon God. So let's make sure. That as we begin a new week.

[38:15] That we are saying. Just like the hymn writer. Oh for a closer. Walk. With God. May the Lord bless these thoughts. And let us pray.

[38:25] Oh Father. We thank thee. We thank thee for thy son Jesus. And that we are able to love him. That we are able to walk with him.

[38:37] And talk to him. That we are able to know him. And that we marvel Lord. That he knows us. And despite knowing everything about us. All our failures. He still loves us.

[38:49] He still wants us to follow him. Help us then. To walk more closely with him. Help us to hear his voice day by day. Help us to speak to him. Every moment we can.

[39:01] Help us Lord. To be under his word. And to be around his people. Or to love him more deeply. To walk with him more closely. And to serve him more faithfully.

[39:12] Lord bless us then we pray. Bless us in the week that lies ahead. A week Lord. There is much before us. But we give thanks. That we are able to begin our week. Committing everything into thy care.

[39:24] And into thy keeping. Knowing that thou art the one. Who will do all things well. Bless us then we pray. And help us to live. Every day saying. Since better is thy love than life.

[39:35] My lips. The praise shall give. Lord do us good. For Jesus sake. Amen. Amen. We shall bring our service to a conclusion.

[39:48] By singing the closing words of Psalm 63. Psalm 63 page 296. That we're singing from verse 6.

[40:02] Down to the end of the psalm. Psalm 63 at verse 6. When I do thee upon my bed. Remember with delight. And when on thee I meditate.

[40:13] And watches of the night. In shadow of thy wings I'll joy. For thou mine help hast been. My soul thee follows hard. And me thy right hand doth sustain.

[40:24] Down to the end of the psalm. Of Psalm 63. To God's praise. When I do thee upon my bed.

[40:39] And remember with delight. And when on thee I meditate. And when on thee I meditate.

[40:53] In watches of the night. In shadow of thy wings I'll joy.

[41:09] For thou mine help hast been. My soul thee followed far on thee.

[41:24] Thy light hath susten. And when on thee I pray. O sea. My soul to spill shall sink.

[41:40] Down to earth's lowest room. They by the sword shall be cut off.

[41:55] And foxes pray be cut. Yet shall the king in God rejoice.

[42:10] And each one glory shall. Thou that swear by him.

[42:21] But stopped shall be. The mouth of liar's all. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[42:35] The love of God the Father. And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Be with you all. Now and forevermore. Amen.