By James Pruch
September 17, 2007
Psalm 36:7-9 says,
How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.
When I read a passage like this, my eyes light up and my skin shrinks and my heart is overflowing with gladness and joy. There is this feeling inside that seems to not be able to be completed, as if my heart is thirsting and there isn’t a glass of God’s pleasure big enough to quench my thirst. I am longing for more. It only makes sense though. I will always physically thirst again–every hour! How much more should I thirst for the King moment by moment, and with David, say, “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” (Ps. 63:1).
In John 4:14, Jesus said to the woman at the well, “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.” We don’t have to worry about running out of God’s water, but I want it to overflow. I don’t want to wait until my “tank” is low. I want there to be a flood of delighting in, enjoying, and pleasuring in Christ all day, every day. There should be a rushing river of God’s goodness flowing in and out of my.
O, to drink of God’s delights! To enjoy and take pleasure in what he enjoys! To marvel at righteousness, to praise him for a sinner who repents, to sing hallelujahs for the sun rising and setting, and to bow low on my knees because of his great patience, mercy, and grace on my life.
God delights in perfection, holiness, goodness, righteousness, grace, mercy, and compassion. Those describe God–among so many other things. Simply, it makes sense then that God delights in himself! He is the most amazing being in the universe, high and above all other creatures. He made the heavens and earth is his footstool! He is great and mighty.
Later on in Psalm 63, David says, “My soul clings to you.” If God is infinitely good, and eternally loving and compassionate, should I not cling to him? Should I not be enamored with his glory and seek to praise him continually? Is God truly my fountain of life? Do I drink him in all day every day? Am I satisfied with him completely far and above all other things in my life?
Look at David’s zeal for the Lord in Psalm 36. He said that God’s steadfast love is precious! He cherishes it like one would cherish an expensive gift from a loved on. He cradles it, never wants to let it go, and knows that it is important to keep close to his heart. Why is it precious? Why would love from a God that he cannot see be worth glorying in? I think the answer is because it has saved David’s life, it has shown him forgiveness, it has brought him out of the great deep of sin, it has rescued him from enemies and opposing nations, and it has given him more joy than could a woman, a friend, a military victory, or a anything else our minds could conjure up. “Your love,” David says, “is better than life” (Ps. 63:3).
Do you think like that? We should all wake up everyday and say: “Lord, your steadfast love for me is better than waking up and breathing today! I want your love more than food or drink, more than learning or friends, more than superficial love and fulfillment. Love on me today, God, and let me enjoy it and soak it in. Let me delight in you because of your love. Let me know see that your steadfast love is the greatest thing I could ever experience.
When we come to the end of looking at God’s delight, and hence, our delighting in God by drinking of his delight, what do we find? Of course, we could go on for hours and hours, and pages and pages, and never come to an end! But, at the core of this issue, this is about resting in Jesus. It’s about feasting on his abundance instead of the world’s riches. It’s about taking refuge in the shadow of God’s wings. It’s about finding life and peace and joy in Christ instead of some other cheap substitute.
So, what are you satisfied with? Is it with Christ and his goodness-his never-ending fountain drink that will flow for all eternity? I wan to leave you with the words to a hymn called, “Jesus, I am Resting.”
Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings:
Thine is love indeed!Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
