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. (Psalm 63:1, ESV)
As wonderful as this game can be, golf can also be very cruel. Only heaven knows just how many times we’ve been heartbroken while playing. Most assuredly, you’ve watched golf superstars have a commanding lead, only to relinquish it late and lose the tournament.
With his tee ball sitting in the 18th fairway at Augusta National, Arnold Palmer had a one-shot lead over Gary Player during the final round of the 1961 Masters. As he approached the ball, he went over to the ropes and spoke with a longtime friend, George Low.
As he shook Mr. Palmer’s hand, he prematurely congratulated him on the victory. Palmer would go on to make a double bogey and lose the tournament.
Later, Palmer would confess that he lost his focus and, decades later, still felt sorrowful for letting the victory slip away from him.
In simplest terms, sorrow is a feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune experienced. Sorrow is more intense than sadness because it paralyzes the soul and consumes even the slightest amounts of joy.
We know, too well, that sorrow can be brought on by loneliness, the death of a loved one, abandonment, financial duress, or job loss. But the most common cause of sorrow is when bad decisions are made, either personally or by someone you care about. This is the context of Psalm 63.
David is in the wilderness of Judah on the run. According to 2 Samuel 15, he’s fleeing from his son Absalom, who conspired against his father to take his throne. Absalom had made a bad decision, and the decision had driven David into the desert – a dark and deeply sorrowful time.
There, he cried out to God in personal lament:
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.
One of the first things we should notice in reading this psalm is the repetitiveness of personal pronouns for God (18 in v.1-8). Even though this is David’s lament, God is the focus. David knows that comfort for his sorrow can only be found in the Lord.
Experts state that once sorrow sets in, the typical length of time it takes to overcome the emotion is 4-6 weeks, although it may sometimes take longer. This lengthy process is why many people turn to unhealthy solutions, only to discover that things get worse.
And it doesn’t matter the age; everyone will experience sorrow. So, how can we stay hopeful during seasons of sorrow? As David did, we look to God.
O God, you are my God is only possible because of God and His covenant with His people.
Psalm 63:1-2 shows us that David didn’t merely want what God could do for him. He wanted God Himself— I seek you, thirst for you, faint for you, and look to behold your glory. And as God showed up, comfort was given in his searching and weariness.
Are you in a season of sorrow? Seek the Lord Jesus in your sorrow. He is the Great Comforter (see 2 Corinthians 1:3-5).
Prayer: Father, I turn to you amidst my sorrow, knowing you are all I need in these difficult days. Amen.