#DailyDevotion Do You Hunger For God & His Righteousness?
Psalm 63 5You satisfy my hunger as with rich food; I praise You with jubilant lips.
In the previous verses we thirsted for the LORD. Now the LORD satisfies our hunger. We thirst for the LORD and we hunger for the LORD.,at least we should. If we hunger for the LORD, He will satisfy our hunger with rich food. He feeds us by providing for us His Word, our LORD Jesus Christ whom He gives to us in the Scriptures, in preaching, in Bible studies and devotions. He feeds us with Christ’s body and blood in the Sacrament, affirming for us the forgiveness of sins, His claim on us as His people and He is our God. He preserves our soul and body. No richer food is there we can receive from God than that He provides from the pastors He sends us. For this we praise our God with jubilant lips. Think about the Hymn of Praise, the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) and the Nunc Dimittus we sing in the Divine Service.
6When I remember You on my bed and think of You during the night – 7how You are my Help, how in the shadow of Your wings I shout happily, 8then my heart clings to You and Your right hand holds me up.
When we lie on our beds, we should take this time to remember all the good things the LORD has provided us, materially and spiritually. It’s a good time to review our day and see how the LORD delivered us and was with us as He has promised. The LORD Jesus is our Help. As the bleeding woman who touched the wings of Jesus’ garment and was healed, we extend our hand to His promises and know the LORD is with us. We live in the shadow of His wings. His help is extended to us day and night to receive from Him what we need to make it through the day. Perhaps we experience the shadow of His wings more when we gather for worship and we hear His Word and receive from His hand the food of eternal life. As we focus on this we can shout happily for all He has done for us. Trusting in His Word and Sacrament, we cling to Him. Jesus is the right hand of God who holds us up, for He promised, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Heb. 13)
9But as for those who try to destroy my life, may they go into the depths of the earth. 10May they be thrust through by the sword, and left as food for the jackals.
Perhaps we see this best as those who sought Jesus’ life, they were thrust through by the sword of the Romans and were left as food for jackals. They would not receive Him as their King, God, Savior and Redeemer. All who reject His free gift of eternal life will suffer a similar fate on the Last Day. As it is, our enemies who seek our lives are sin, death, the devil and all his minions. They seek to draw us back into the life of death we once lived in. If they can’t do that, they hope to destroy us before we share the Good News of Jesus Christ so others are not brought from death to life. Jesus our Savior has overcome them and the world. We need not fear them. The Lake of Fire is their destiny.
11But the king will delight in God. Everyone who swears by Him will be happy, but the mouths of those who tell lies will be shut.
Jesus, who is the King, delights in God, His Father and our Father. We swear by the name of Jesus that we will remain faithful to Him unto death. In this, we are happy for we know Him who made His promise to be faithful to us. The Father kept His word and raised Jesus from the dead, seating Jesus at His right hand. Jesus will most certainly keep His word to preserve us to eternal life through the Word and Sacrament He has provided for us. Everyone else’s mouth will be shut by Him.
Heavenly Father, forever provide us with the food of Christ’s Word and Sacrament, that we inherit eternal life and live with you now and forever. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.