My Soul Thirsts

Press the play button to watch the video above or press 'more' to read the transcript of the daily devotion below. Please read Psalm 63 (use your own Bible or use the link above to access the in-App Bible).

‘I seek you, my soul thirsts for you;’ Psalm 63:1

Elijah is vital in understanding the covenant between God and His people. There is a vacant seat for Elijah at major ceremonies reminding Jews that he's a silent observer of the ongoing covenant. His prophetic ministry drawn out in the words of today's psalm are an indication that he gazes upon and knows the presence of God.

Elijah, in the Christian tradition, is present on two key occasions. He is there on the Mount of Transfiguration heralding Jesus’ messianic credentials. He is also seen in the ministry of John the Baptist. John is the new Elijah representing the ongoing link with the prophets of the earlier tradition.

Elijah's prayer is that the fullness and beauty of God is revealed to His people. Today, in our psalm, we see the significance for those called to be prophetic of knowing the presence of God so intimately. Elijah needed to know that God was so close and present to him. He needed to know that he could reflect upon the glory of God before him to carry him through times of challenge.

This is an exemplar for us. We should be inspired by Elijah’s zeal for God and be recalled to the desire to thirst for God. The inspiration for Christians is to have that physical longing to know God present in and through us. We have the gift of the Holy Spirit and we are Temples of the Spirit. We need to recognise the responsibility that gives and the gift of intimacy with God.

Furthermore, we can recognise that our longing for God, our desire for God, will be occasionally fulfilled with the kind of mystical vision suggested in today’s text but also seen in the beautiful miracle of the Eucharist that has been left for us as a foretaste of the heavenly banquet until we see Him face to face in Glory. Literally, in the Eucharist physical and spiritual needs are met so that we may come face to face with the presence and the glory of God as Elijah did.

Let us pray: You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you. Amen. (from St Augustine of Hippo).

The Venerable David Picken, Archdeacon of Lancaster.