The words on the paddle

We started our study of Psalm 63 by saying that everyone experiences stress, and that we can better handle the pressures of life when our priorities are correct. 
Having the right priorities can be like having just the right size and shape of paddle to help us navigate the rapids!

Some people who canoe and kayak a great deal have a habit of writing words on their paddles. Sometimes these are words of encouragement or inspiration and other times they are words that remind them of an important moment or skill in their lives.

What's written on our paddles?

I think David would tell us to inscribe the words "Seek after God" on our paddles, and he would encourage us to make this our most important priority.

No matter what stresses come into our lives, we can handle them correctly if we will maintain this priority above all others: to earnestly seek after our God. 

What exactly does this mean? Well, Psalm 63 is like a window into the heart of David, and he's a "man after God's own heart." I think the first thing we see in his heart is that David has a personal, intimate relationship with God.

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. (Psalm 63:1, NIV)

See where David says, "You...are my God,"? He knew God in a personal way. There's a huge difference between knowing ABOUT a person and actually KNOWING that person, right?

You can see someone crossing a street and think, I know her. I've seen her at church and she sings in the choir. She even sings solos sometimes. I recognize her.

You might even have read a paragraph in the church bulletin about her, that told a little about her life and her commitments to family, church, and business life. But it's not the same as knowing her personally.

Knowing her personally would require that someone introduce you, and then you could spend time with this person over a period of time. You could observe her in a variety of situations and develop a friendship. After you discovered more about her, you could say you had a personal friendship, a relationship with her, and her with you.

That's how it is with God, if we truly want to seek Him. First, there must have been a time that we can point to, when we met Him personally through our Savior, Jesus. 

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:3, NASB)

Our introduction to God comes when we repent (turn away) from our sins and trust in Jesus' death and resurrection on our behalf. We accept that free gift of salvation. Then, we must nurture that relationship. We must learn about our new Friend by spending time reading the Bible and praying. We will learn from Him as we weather the years and many different situations, with Him at our side.

Seeking after God means that we are devoting time to gaining that personal relationship with God.

Seeking Him also means that we desire to know more of Him. Check out the words in verse one up there . . . seek, thirst, yearn, long. David knew God, but he wanted more. He wanted to go further. He knew that there was more to a relationship with Him and he craved it. David even makes the comparison to a thirsty man in the desert, and how earnestly he would crave drops of water.

What about us? Do we desire to know more of our Lord? Is our seeking after Him an intense desire? There's always more to learn about God, and more to learn from God . . . . because He is an infinite person! If we think we've reached spiritual maturity and we can sit down and relax, we are in big trouble! David had walked with God for years, but he was thirsty for more.

Lord, help us to thirst for you, to desire to have a deeper relationship with you, so that we can weather the stresses of life!

More tomorrow . . . .