Psalm 63 - by Elizabeth Reynolds

As we reflect on the psalms as a church, our connect group discussed the psalms at our meeting this week.

We focused on Psalm 63:
1 You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 I cling to you;
your right hand upholds me.
9 Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.
10 They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.
11 But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God will glory in him,
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

We talked of many things, but there were one or two things that really resounded from our discussions:

1. that we are called to delight in the Lord simply for who He is, not just what He has done or can do for us; and
2. that no matter what is happening in our lives, we should come to God in prayer.

We drew attention to the fact that so many of the psalms are filled with so much despair and depressive thoughts and plain old misery. But many of these psalms finish with a sentence expressing glory to God, submission to God, or hope in God.

Have you ever just come to God with nothing to say but complaints and sadness and frustration? Forget the many 'models of prayer' that we are taught - that we include reverence and praise and thanks before our supplication. Sometimes, we just run head-long into pouring out our sad heart to Him. And according to the psalms, sometimes that is okay.

When I have these kind of prayers, as is true for many of those kind of psalms, after the simple act of talking to God for a while, my heart is often brought to a place of peace. My problems may be far from resolved, but God provides me with peace and hope in the midst of it. My approach and attitude is changed for the better after having been in His presence.

So I encourage you, no matter what your situation is... just pray.

Just. Pray.