The believer need desire nothing more than the favor of God to make him happy and satisfied.
The consciousness of communion with God is the sure pledge of deliverance.
Psalm 1
1 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;
2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
9 But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
10 They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.
Psalm 1 – J. Vernon McGee
Psalm 63 – The Longing Soul Abundantly Satisfied
Ever since the third century this has been the morning song of the Church. The superscription tells us that it was written in the wilderness of Judah, probably during the events recorded in II Samuel 15:23-28; 16:2; 17:16. Notice the many references to the life of the soul. These are the many considerations of our mortal pilgrimage! My soul thirsteth; my soul shall be satisfied; my soul followeth hard after thee.
The soul thirsting, Psalm 63:1-4
Let us be on the alert to see God’s power and glory, not only in the sanctuary, but in dry and thirsty lands. How sad and weary, is life without God!
The soul satisfied, Psalm 63:5-7
To desire God is to have Him. To long for Him is to be at the well-head. To remember Him on the bed rests us. To meditate on Him in the night is to have the dawn. The shadow of His wings is absolute safety.
The soul in hot pursuit, Psalm 63:8-11
God is always in front of us. The Savior went before; we must follow in His steps, but there ought to be as little space as possible between us. Another turn of the road, and you will see Him! —Through the Bible Day by Day
Psalm 63:8 – My soul followeth hard after Thee.
This is a marvelous saying. The metaphor which underlies it is obviously borrowed from the psalmist’s familiarity with the wilderness. It is a dry and thirsty land, where no water is: one says that he knows of a secret spring, whose waters are clear and cool, and offers to lead the thirsty one to its margin, lined with mosses and grasses. Instantly the soul starts in pursuit, and follows hard on the footsteps of the pioneer.
So when we are athirst for God, He comes, and, in the person of Jesus, leads us to Himself. He is Guide and Guerdon, Prompter of the impulse, and Promoter of its satisfaction. He excites the desire, offers to show us its sufficient supply, and finally brings us to his own lovingkindness, which is better than life. It becomes us, then, to follow hard after Him. Let us do as Jonathan’s armour-bearer, to whom the young prince said, Come up after me. And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer after him, and the Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armour-bearer slew after him.
Follow hard after Christ, over hedge and ditch, through stubble and gorse, across dyke and brook, sometimes down the steep fall into the hollow, and again breasting the mountain slope, in the teeth of the pitiless blast. He has left an example that we should follow his steps. The scent lies lightly; catch it ere it fade. What though the fresh blood marks the track—follow hard! Follow on to apprehend that for which thou wast apprehended. Press toward the mark. Let there be no needless space between the Master and thee. —Our Daily Homily