Parched and weary ground. Bared to the merciless sun beating down upon it. Thirsty. Longing for relief. Exhausted of resources. Ever feel like that?

(Photo Credit: William Warby, Flickr CC)

O God, you are my God;
    I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
    my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
    where there is no water.
             Psalm 63:1

Psalm 63 is the prayer for pilgrims trudging through parched and weary lands.

For those times we feel we’ve wandered too far away from home,
and we want only to sit close to our Father and soak up His love;

For the days we feel depleted, empty, exhausted…
with nothing more to give
and no resources for what still lies ahead;

For the days we want to stand in awe once again
and we beg for a new glimpse of the greatness of our God.

Several years ago I worked at memorizing this prayer and praying it during my early morning walk. Verses drift back to me now whenever particular circumstances call forth some of these cries from my heart.

I’d like to refresh my memory and share that refreshment with you. We’ll take one verse a day (with one exception), ponder it—your thoughts may be different than mine—and pray it. Pray it aloud — speaking it helps me internalize the Scripture.

The Lord is our God, and we long for Him, we search for Him—because we walk through a parched, barren land, and what else will water our thirsty and weary souls?

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