O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me. But those who seek my life, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God; everyone who swears by Him shall glory; but the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped. (A Psalm of David When He Was in the Wilderness of Judah. Psalm 63)

Having A Passion For God

Distress and trouble will drive the heart to seek a closer union with God and David finds himself in need of his Lord more than ever. He has been driven to the wilderness by a calamity of some type. His psalm seems to point to a time when Absalom was rebelling against his father as the psalm refers to David as a king. Trouble surrounded David after his sin with Bathsheba but he never lost his love and zeal for God. Some were seeking to kill David. He knew he possessed the protection of the Lord as he prayed for deliverance from his enemies. What makes the plea of his psalm so powerful is the passion David has for God. The troubles he endured only highlighted how much he loved the Lord and needed the presence of God in his life. Trials did not drive the king away from God but drew him closer.

Passion is an intense or overpowering feeling such as love and joy or even hatred and anger. David’s passion for God was a very strong emotion of dependence, devotion, and dedication to the Lord. He declares that God is his God and there can and will be no other. His love for God is singular, focused with a laser intensity that is not soon shaken. He had an earnest desire to seek the Lord early with a craving for divine communion. As a body thirst for nourishment, the king of Israel had a thirst for the Divine. His whole body longed for the presence of God as a man needs water in a parched and weary land. The world was a desert and the Lord was the only hope of salvation. David knew the power of worship as he had engaged the Lord in the sanctuary gazing upon the power and glory of God. There was a deep passion for the word of the Lord.

When David looked at his God, he saw an unfailing love that was more filling than life itself. His passion drew him to sing praises to God with his mouth proclaiming the joys of salvation. All that David was and all that he could become would be found in how he praised God for His enduring mercy and grace. He would praise the Lord with joyful lips. His nights were spent thinking about the Lord, meditating on holy things throughout the night. David was consumed by his love for God. His passion was real and demonstrative. He clung to the garments of God as a weary child seeks the protection of their father. Nestled under the shadow of the Lord’s wings, David felt secure, safe, and satisfied. David had a passion for God.

Many wanted to destroy the king but his trust was in the Lord. He did not fear what men could do to him. His faith was in the Lord because of his intense passion for the presence of God in his life. The only thing David could see was his love for God. It drove him, directed him, and declared his loyalty to the one true God. Worship to David was a passion. Faith in the Lord was his passion. Obedience to the word of the Lord became his passion. The king let everyone know where his passion lay.

The Christian has so much to be thankful for and to acknowledge the many blessings found in Christ. What is lacking in so many lives of God’s people is a passion for Him. They become churchgoers but not God lovers. Many profess to love God but never fall in love with Him. David’s passion is a zeal based on knowledge and a heart filled with the word of God. The more you know about God the more you fall in love with Him. And when a man falls deeper in love with God his passion grows and grows to where he becomes like David. O God, you are my God!