“Early Will I Seek Thee” (Ready to Worship S10E7)

October 11, 2019

Ready to Worship Season 10, Episode 7 for Friday, October 11, 2019

This season on Ready to Worship, we are examining the attitude that we are to have in worship. In this study, we are going to consider the attitude or the spirit of desire. From a hiding place in the wilderness of Judah, David declared, “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee” (Psa. 63:1-3). David had made his decision – God was his God. He had seen God’s power, God’s glory, and God’s lovingkindness. God was worthy of his worship. He was going to seek God with priority, with passion, and with persistence. Let’s begin by noticing the priority with which David was going to seek God. David was going to seek God early or before anything else. If David had sought God late, rather than early, then he would have been revealing that he desired something more than God. However, by seeking God early, David was revealing that there was nothing that he wanted more than God. Obviously, we do the same with our priorities. Do we put things before worship, prayer, Bible study, or fellowship? David not only showed his desire by the priority with which he sought God, he also showed his desire by the passion with which he sought God. Please note the words thirsteth and longeth. These words suggest a very strong desire for something. For example, the word translated as longeth means to faint with longing. David was fainting with hunger for God. Later, in the context, David used another expression that further emphasized his passion. We read, “My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me” (Psa. 63:8). The Hebrew word translated as followeth hard means to stick to, to cleave to, and to pursue something closely with the idea of catching or overtaking it. David wasn’t just going through the motions, he was seeking God with his whole heart. In addition to the priority and the passion with which David sought God, consider finally the persistence with which he sought God. Please note the eth endings on the words thirsteth and longeth in the King James Version. This ending represents ongoing or continuing action. Like the dry and thirsty land of Israel that was always longing for rain, David was constantly desiring God. In fact, the word translated as seek earlier in the verse also suggests persistence. It means to wear a path by constant use. Just think of the path that cattle wear in a pasture traveling back and forth to the barn or to the watering trough. In like manner, we should wear a path seeking God. As we get ready to worship this week, let’s worship with great desire. Let’s show our desire by the priority, the passion, and the persistence that we give to worship.