This psalm, so simple, yet so full of longing (Stanley L. Jaki, Praying the Psalms). Yes, this psalm is full of longing, longing for God of David to answer his prayer (v1-2; v6-7). David has a longing, a longing that one God can fulfill. David longs to be in presence of God; he longs to take refuge in Him, he longs for God to be his tower of strength (v3), he longs to dwell in the tent of God, and long to be sheltered under the wings of God (v4).
We can long for many things in life; I long to own a motorbike, so that I won’t have to travel by bus and go home early to see my Alethea. You might long for a miracle to happen, so that you won’t have to work on Monday. You might long for your family member to be healed from a sickness, so that it will spare you from grieve and disappointment. You might even long to become rich, so that you can be as generous as you want. But there is only one thing which is the most important to long after; that is, the presence of God.
These longings are not invalid, but they are not the most important one. David teaches me that, in the midst of all his troubles and all his misdeeds and even all his powers; he finds that there is only one thing can made him satisfy; that is, the presence of God. That is to be in the tent of God, to take shelter in the wings of God.
I particularly like this image: let me take refuge in the shelter of Thy wings (v4b). It is an image of a weak young chick seeking protection and love from its mother bird, which most likely to be an eagle. At home, my 14 months old daughter likes to play ‘run and hide’ game with me and my wife, Esther. When I am doing some housework in the kitchen at night, such as washing the milk bottles, hanging up the laundry, refilling thermal flask, or getting ready her milk power for the next day; Alethea will like to sneak out from her mattress to venture into the kitchen and see what I am doing. I will pretend I didn’t notice her and let her come close to the kitchen, and then I can suddenly turn towards her and pretend to be a ‘monster’ and chase after her. She will quickly make a turn and run towards her mother and hide in herself in Esther. She loves to play this over and over again. I realize that she not only finds protection from her mother, but also love.
As a Christian, I have the habit of coming to God whenever I am in deep troubles or sometime small troubles. I believe I am speaking on behalf of many Christians too. But seldom do we come to God to enjoy His presence and enjoy His love. We study the bible for information, but God wants to meet us there and gives us a transformation. As we are approaching the season of Lent in two weeks time, it is a good time to come to God for love. It is a good time to experience Christ and Cross in a refreshing way. It is also a good time to learn to cast all our troubles and worries at the feet of the Cross, and only focus on the risen Christ of the Cross.
Let us also learn from David as he will sing praise to God’s name forever and pay his vows day by day (v8). David knows that his longing can only be filled by the Presence of God. My longings will be filled by the Presence of God too. And your longings will also be filled by the Presence of God.
Deeper in Love (by Don Moen)
Verse 1
There is a longing only You can fill
A raging tempest only You can still
My soul is thirsty Lord to know You as I'm known
Drink from the river that flows before Your throne
Chorus
Take me deeper
Deeper in love with You
Jesus hold me close in Your embrace
Take me deeper
Deeper than I've ever been before
I just want to love You more and more
How I long to be deeper in love
Verse 2
Sunrise to sunrise I will seek Your face
Drawn by the Spirit to the promise of Your grace
My heart has found in You a hope that will abide
Here in Your presence forever satisfied
HHS…
Abel…
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