“Early Will I Seek You” (Ps 63)

“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” (vs1)

I will not wait until things get better, or I’ve had time to stew in my sin . I will seek You early, because I need You, and because You will hear me (vs1-2). He says, “Early will I seek you”. Many are slow to mercy and quick to anger, but God forgives and gives grace to sinners who are fresh in their sins. Isaiah 1 says that our wounds are fresh and open, but “Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Is 1:18).

We come quickly and unhesitatingly, because God receives us speedily and graciously. I can't live without Him, so when I lack His peace and joy, I go to Him immediately because things cannot be good without Him, and seeking Him is how He comes back. One old timer said, “Remember, resignation (submission of will) is the work of the Spirit of God; and therefore you must plead for it before you have it”. The Psalmist says, “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”. Bless the Lord for early access to Himself.

Secondly, joy and praise are the results of seeking God: we don't just seek; we actually obtain (vs3-8)! He says, “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”. The grace of God is so wonderful, faithful, and exhilarating that miserable sinners and saints come to God helpless and needy, and then leave - because of God, Christ, and the Spirit - singing His praises, thankful for mercies obtained, and desirous to live godly as the result.

God does more than command us to seek Him: He is actually FOUND! He is not merely a stab in the dark or a chance that might happen, perhaps. He is the definite, saving, and performing God, found by ALL who seek Him. Acts 17:30-31 says, “Truly, these [former] times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead”. Bless Him. Heaven is as sure to those who seek Him as God is sure to be faithful.

We can be encouraged, and by this seeking, we will be happy. You and I don't need to fear that we're laboring in vain, as we call out to Him in prayer and seek Him for the needs of spiritual and eternal life.

Finally, the wicked won't prosper (vs9-11). He says, “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”. God isn't two-faced or unjust to reward the wicked as the righteous. Scripture says, “Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Gen 18:25). In order for you to be delivered, your enemies must be defeated, especially if they are evil men. Mankind thinks God is optional, and He can be resisted with impunity, but it isn't so. Justice demands that those who don't love God, who don't seek Him, and who oppose His gospel must be punished and made to suffer. He says, “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”. The devil and his disciples won't win; they are living a lie, prospering only for the moment, and the God who hears the righteous will reward the wicked justly.

There is no Plan B; it is Christ or death eternal. Do not think, “Seeking the Lord is an option, and I choose not to do it”. Take the gospel so seriously that you SEEK the Lord because you have no choice. He has condemned us for sin in Adam and brought us into a world where Judgment awaits us, and by what we do down here, we'll be ushered into bliss or tormented forever. Don't think Christ isn't worth your time, devotion, and diligence. He's the only hope, and He is sure.