What do you do when your life becomes a dumpster fire, burning out of control? It’s scorching others, destroying relationships, pushing you closer to the edge, and you suddenly realize you struck the match? When you look in the mirror and see not an innocent victim but the guilty fool whose selfish actions are tearing the kingdom apart, then what?  

That’s David in Psalm 63. The opening description, “A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah,” along with a hint in verse 11, “the king shall rejoice in God,” provides the background. David was fleeing the city that bore his name; leaving his palace, his people, and the Ark of God behind. He was putting distance between himself and his angry, neglected son, Absalom, who was leading a mutiny against his father’s crown. David was running into the wasteland, reaping the bitter fruit of his sins.   

If 2 Samuel 11 was an earthquake hidden deep beneath the surface, then chapters 13-19 are the ensuing tsunami wrecking everything in its path before a watching world. Look carefully and you’ll discover an eerie pattern. David coveted something that did not belong to him—another man’s wife. His lust drove him to adultery (possibly rape). Then he acted deceitfully, trying to cover up his transgressions. When deception failed, he resorted to treachery and murder. Some scholars believe David broke every law.

What do we see in David's family as the fall-out of those actions? His children follow the pattern: coveting, lust, rape, murder, and mutiny on the side. As warned by God, the “sword did not depart from David’s house.” Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind. Be certain, your sins will find you out. Sin makes fools out of us all. David’s story is tragic,  but hopeful—God never abandoned David. Why not? Because of his HESED. Steadfast love. Enduring faithfulness to this man and his family. His covenantal faithfulness. 

Surely, David saw his own failures reflected in his children. His soul must have been in agony. Even though he repented of his sin (2 Sam. 12, Ps. 51), the consequences came.

This psalm answers the question: what will David do now? He’ll do what he’s always done. He’ll continue to practice the habit of his life. He’ll seek God. That was David’s lifestyle, the response of his heart to all of life’s hardships. You can hear both his humility and hope in the beginning of this psalm.  

¹  O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; 

my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, 

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 

²  So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, 

beholding your power and glory. 

³  Because your steadfast love is better than life, 

my lips will praise you…

⁷  …for you have been my help, 

and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. 

⁸  My soul clings to you; 

your right hand upholds me.

Can you relate? We’ve all started our own messy fires, brought down the chastening rod of God and acted the fool. But can we relate to David’s response in the midst of his agony? Do we earnestly seek God in our pain—as a habit? 

Seeking God is hurling yourself at the one you’ve offended, knowing He’ll greet you with steadfast love and satisfaction. Psalm 63 models a response for us especially when we have failed God, trashed our lives and sunk to a new low. It answers the nagging doubt in our heart that says, “Does God despise me by now? Shouldn’t he despise me?” But we find a glorious surprise here: more steadfast love.  

We can presume to call upon God for help when the mess is ALL OUR FAULT. We can make daring claims on God’s steadfast love, just like David did. Why? Because God rejoices to give sinners and sufferers their lives back--better than before. He loves to give His people a new beginning when they hit bottom. He loves to cut a path through trouble and heartache, even when that trouble arose from sinful, foolish, actions.

Psalm 63 is for people like us. It’s an invitation to again seek God and make him our desire, our delight, and our defense. He is not disinterested, uninvolved, or distant. He’s not hiding in the shadows. He has more to give us. More grace to lavish upon us. More of His power and love to experience. Grace upon grace.

Ray Ortlund said, “Every one of us is always five minutes away from moral and ministry disaster…Therefore, we must hurl ourselves into God’s arms right now, and never stop doing so, moment by moment, as long as we live.” That’s a great definition of seeking God, “hurling yourself into His arms, moment by moment, as long as you live.” When that becomes a way of life, you’ll be able to sing even when life seems to crumble. 

David was driven to seek God because he had been awakened to the beauties of God’s power and glory. He had seen them—often, as a habit. It was his way of life. And that vision carried him through hard times. The longing in this Psalm is not the groping of a stranger in the dark, but the eagerness of a friend to reunite with the one he holds dear.  

Seek the Lord. His steadfast love and satisfaction await you. We can cling and sing, just like David did—and with a clearer vision of Who we’re clinging to and what He’s done for us. We don’t have to panic, or give up. He has us—always. That’s the Gospel. 

I think any of us could pick a Psalm that resonates with us and say "How I wish I could live like that." And the truth is: we can. David was merely on the fringes of understanding the deep love of Yahweh. We have the fuller picture. We have the cross, the resurrection, the ascension, and the endless power of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside us in a way David could only dream about. We can seek the Lord with confidence.