CG Guide (Psalm 63)

“Song of the Satisfied Soul”

Scripture: Psalm 63

The existential truth for all people is that every single one of us has desires in our souls. And we all thirst for something to satisfy this deep longing. This was the experience of David as he wrote this psalm. King David, being forced to flee from Jerusalem, forced to flee from his throne, was in the wilderness facing the danger of death at the hand of his own son. But in the wilderness of his life, David turns his heart to God and rejoices to know that the Lord is all he needs for life and eternity. This psalm points us to ask ourselves these two questions:

Do you earnestly desire God? David opens his psalm by declaring that God is his God. He has a personal and intimate relationship with the God of the universe. And it is this God that David so desires, so longs after. So much so that David likens his desire and his search to a thirsting and a fainting in a dry and weary land with no water. If you’ve experienced real thirst before, you probably understand what David is comparing his desire to here. David even goes on to say that God’s steadfast love is really all that matters. God is better than life itself. His steadfast love is more precious than life itself.  Does David’s desire for God reflect your desire for him?

Are you satisfied in God? David knows that his search, his desire, for God would ultimately be ended because he knows the only way to satisfy the deep thirst and longing of his soul and flesh is found in God alone. He knows that he can find true satisfaction and delight in God alone. After reflecting on God, after beholding his steadfast love, his power and his glory, David is assured that his soul again will be satisfied. And David’s confidence in God’s satisfaction is grounded in the reality that God would before him and defeat all of his enemies. 

In the same way, we can find our satisfaction in Christ, for he is the living water who fully satisfies. No longer do we need to look to other sources of water to temporarily quench our thirst, for we have the living water, Christ Jesus himself, who deeply and fully satisfies all of the desires of our souls. Just as David’s confidence was in knowing that God would defeat his enemies, our confidence is grounded in that same reality. David knew his enemies would be defeated but for us, this reality is already true – Jesus has gone and has delivered us from the greatest enemy and has fully satisfied our deepest need. God has satisfied our deepest need through Jesus Christ, for Jesus went to the cross and thirsted on the cross so that our thirst and our longing would be satisfied completely. Because of this, we can rest assured that the desires of our souls are fully satisfied by him alone.

Suggested Group Discussion Questions 

1. What, if anything, was particularly clarifying, convicting, or confusing about the passage and/or the sermon? Share insights, reflections, and questions.
2. Where do the desires of your heart lie? Do you desire after God with the eagerness of the psalmist? If so, what does it look like in your life? If not, what do you find yourself seeking instead?
3. Where do you turn to satisfy the thirst of your soul? What are you chasing after to truly satisfy? 
4. Doxology: Express how this sermon helps you understand, appreciate, and worship Jesus more. In what ways has the gospel become more alive to you having read this passage and heard this sermon? 
5. Response: Formulate a one-sentence prayer that’s informed by the passage and the sermon. This prayer should articulate what you desire to walk away and how you want God to apply it in your life. Have a few people share what they came up with.