Blessings in the Wilderness

Tonight I was reading Psalm 63, one that David wrote when he was in the wilderness. It was the Psalm that went with a devotional I was reading in "Worship the King." The Psalm begins "O God, Thou art my God; I shall seek Thee earnestly; My soul thirsts for Thee, my flesh yearns for Thee, In a dry and weary land where there is no water." I know how David feels. During the summer we have literally lived in a dry and weary land where there has been no water. It's interesting that I wrote the post on our rain yesterday and this should be my devotional tonight.

Figuratively and spiritually, we have also been living in a wilderness. The values that we have cherished for more than 200 years are no longer the values that we admire and aspire to. The precepts upon which our country was founded no longer meet the needs of the 21st century citizenry, or so our leaders would have us believe. Our founding documents are being shredded and cast aside. We pick and choose which words of the Bible we believe so that we won't offend anyone's sensibility. The doctrine of the day is one of tolerance. What was right is now wrong, and what was wrong is now right. We idolize dictators and despots and apologize for being the country that we were founded to be. Those of us who name the name of Jesus are thirsting and yearning for God. So...I see where David is coming from. But, praise God, that is not the end of the Psalm.

This is the rest:
Thus I have beheld Thee in the sanctuary, To see Thy power and Thy glory.
Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise Thee.

So I will bless Thee as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Thy name.
My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.

When I remember Thee on my bed, I meditate on Thee in the night watches,
For Thou hast been my help, And in the shadow of Thy wings I sing for joy.
My soul clings to Thee; Thy right hand upholds me.

But those that seek my life, to destroy it, Will go into the depts of the earth.
They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; They will be a prey for foxes.
But the king will rejoice in God, Everyone who swears by Him will glory, For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.

I especially like the picture this paints about how I am in the shadow of His wings and His right hand upholds me. You can't get any better than that! So, although I feel that we're living in a wilderness right now and we don't know what our future holds, we do know Who holds the future. How blessed we are!