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QOTD: Psalm 63
Something I like to do during my devotional time is praying through a Psalm. This morning, I was on my way to Psalm 43 when I flipped past Psalm 63; it caught my attention, so I decided to focus on that one instead! It was a real encouragement to me, so I thought I would post it here in the hopes that I could pass some of the encouragement along.
God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you.
I thirst for you;
my body faints for you
in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
to see your strength and your glory.My lips will glorify you
because your faithful love is better than life.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
at your name, I will lift up my hands.
You satisfy me as with rich food;
my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.When I think of you as I lie on my bed,
I meditate on you during the night watches
because you are my helper;
I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings.
I follow close to you;
your right hand holds on to me.But those who intend to destroy my life
will go into the depths of the earth.
They will be given over to the power of the sword;
they will become a meal for jackals.
But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by him will boast,
for the mouths of liars will be shut.Psalms 63:1-11 (CSB)
If you are experiencing a thirst for God, that is a blessing – gaze on Him, meditate on Him, praise Him with joyful lips!
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Thanks, @alliehahn, that passage was very timely for me today. Blessings!
My favorite psalm. I pray it every night and while in line for Holy Communion. Glad to know someone shares my love of the psalm. Thanks.
BTW, here’s the translation I use.
A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.
63 O God, thou art my God, I seek thee,
my soul thirsts for thee;
my flesh faints for thee,
as in a dry and weary land where no water is.
2 So I have looked upon thee in the sanctuary,
beholding thy power and glory.
3 Because thy steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise thee.
4 So I will bless thee as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands and call on thy name.
5 My soul is feasted as with marrow and fat,
and my mouth praises thee with joyful lips,
6 when I think of thee upon my bed,
and meditate on thee in the watches of the night;
7 for thou hast been my help,
and in the shadow of thy wings I sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to thee;
thy right hand upholds me.
9 But those who seek to destroy my life
shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword,
they shall be prey for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God;
all who swear by him shall glory;
for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
This Psalm also has to be one of my very favorite Chabad nigguns, and this recording is as good as it gets. The opening soloist here is Avraham Fried. He is followed by a recording of himself as a child soloist. It also happens to be a family favorite for singing at the Shabbat table.
https://youtu.be/BBiwAASd0j0
Thanks for sharing! What translation is this?
Thank you for sharing this!
I believe that’s the King James.
Thanks – I looked that up and it didn’t seem to match.
Take it from me, though, reading the Psalms in English is like washing your feet with your socks on. “Depth calls unto depth…” I have been reading Psalms regularly, alone and with groups, studying classic commentaries and Hebrew roots, and seeking out teachers, and I discover more and more every time. I forget where the tradition comes from, but they say every Psalm has a connection to :
1) An event or issue in the life of King David
2) An event in the history of the Jewish people
3) An event or issue in the life of the person reading the particular Psalm with prayerful focus.
The interplay of levels of meaning bounce off of each other infinitely in accordance with our awareness of and openness to them.
Maybe it’s the Revised Standard Version.
Thanks! I’m not familiar with that one.
I do often use the Blue Letter Bible app on my phone to look up word meanings in the original languages, but I’ll admit I don’t really do it when I’m reading the Psalms! I should, though, so thank you!
King James has it “they shall fall by the sword, they shall become a portion for foxes.” Jackals being rare on the ground in merry ol’.
Interesting!
Patton has George C. Scott doing a voice-over of it after he has been relieved of command.