Thanks for joining us for our monthly Praying the Bible series! God’s Word is one of the most powerful tools he gives us for approaching him and shaping our hearts after his. In the midst of hectic schedules and long to-do lists, let’s not neglect this priority. Learn more about the Praying the Bible Series.
Psalm 63:1-5
“God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you.
I thirst for you;
my body faints for you
in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
to see your strength and your glory.
My lips will glorify you
because your faithful love is better than life.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
at your name, I will lift up my hands.
You satisfy me as with rich food;
my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.”
Where do you go when you’re exhausted?
Many of us live tired. Always feeling short on sleep, time, and energy, we hurry through our ever-growing checklists and hope for the weekend, the next stage in parenting, the summer, retirement.
When we are worn out, our biggest need isn’t sleep. It isn’t more hours in the day. It’s God.
David knew exhaustion. Hear the desperation in these staccato declarations:
“I eagerly seek you.”
“I thirst for you.”
“My body faints for you.”
We need God just as much as David did, but we are often unaware of it. When we’re so distracted by temporary solutions or alternative hopes, we don’t seek the one who can perfectly satisfy and restore our souls.
So how does this shape how we pray for ourselves and our families? Here are a few suggestions:
- Worship God for being your God—for reaching down and rescuing you, for being a relational God who loves individual people, for preserving you with steadfast love and faithfulness.
- Ask God to show you your need for him. Ask to hunger and thirst for righteousness, that you may be filled (Matthew 5:6).
- Tell God about your exhaustion, your spiritual drought—whatever it is that is reminding you of your need for him. Ask him to satisfy you.
- Take time to “gaze upon you in the sanctuary to see your strength and glory.” Retell Biblical stories of God’s strength and glory, from creation to the Red Sea to the cross and the empty tomb. Thank God for specific times in your life and in your family’s and friends’ lives when you have seen his strength and glory.
- Pray that your loved ones will be satisfied with God’s love. Pray that they would see his strength and glory and be richly satisfied.
