So in the Sanctuary I Beheld You

Psalm 63 is a song of longing and thirst for God. King David wrote it when he was in the wilderness of Judah, far from the sanctuary and from settled life, hunted and alone. Yet out of the dryness and the loneliness he does not complain — he seeks God with all his being, and discovers that God's nearness is sweeter to him than life itself.

Part 1 (verses 1-6) is the heart of that longing, and it moves in three waves. First the great thirst — soul and flesh pine for God like thirst for water in a dry land. Then the memory — David recalls how he beheld God's power and glory in the sanctuary, and that memory quenches him where there is no water. And finally the thanksgiving and fullness — the soul is filled with God's nearness as with a rich feast, and the lips break into song. So a chapter of distance and loneliness becomes a song of closeness and joy.

The central verse of the chapter, chosen as the title of the song, is:

"So in the sanctuary I have beheld You, to see Your power and Your glory."

David is in the dry wilderness, but in his heart he returns to the moments when he saw the power and glory of God in the sanctuary. That memory is the water that quenches his soul in a place where there is no water.