O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
— Psalm 63:1 —
Anibal Eleazar Aguilar: Evangelical Ministries of the Americas | Honduras
King David found himself in the Judean wilderness, fleeing from his son Absalom, who had conspired against him and taken the throne of Israel (2 Sam. 15–17). However, in the midst of this pain and suffering caused by his own son’s betrayal, David’s foremost desire wasn’t to take back the throne but to be in the presence of his beloved God, and to delight in His glory and power. The king loved and valued God more than his reign and riches. Instead of complaining or becoming embittered by his situation, David’s heart was with the Lord. “The king,” he resolves, “will rejoice in God” (Psa. 63:11). Are you suffering? Don’t fall into bitterness, depression, or hopelessness. Take refuge in the presence of the Lord. He could lose everything else, but he couldn’t bear to lose his communion with the Almighty. Longing to be back in Jerusalem, worshiping God, he compares his languishing soul to the surrounding landscape—dry and arid. For this reason, he ardently desired the refreshing presence of the Lord. Emma, a believer with scarce economic resources, has been in a wheelchair and confined to her bed for more than twenty years due to chronic arthritis. I visited her one day this summer and it was stifling hot. She was lying in bed and there was no sort of ventilation. I asked her how she could stand it, and she said, “I think about God’s word. It helps me with the pain and refreshes my body.” As she was speaking, her words expressed thankfulness while her countenance reflected peace and joy, the fruit of intimate communion with the Lord. Are you suffering? Don’t fall into bitterness, depression, or hopelessness. Take refuge in the presence of the Lord.
