Intimacy

Psalm 63:1-8; 1, NLT

"O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you..."

"The dominant characteristic of an authentic spiritual life is the gratitude that flows from trust - not only for all the gifts that I receive from God, but gratitude for all the suffering. Because in that purifying experience, suffering has often been the shortest path to intimacy with God." Brennan Manning.

• Read Psalm 63:1-8. Do these verses describe your intimacy with God?

• What does "my soul" (Ps 63:1,5,8, ESV) suggest about the psalmist's personal devotion to God?

• How does earnestly and eagerly seeking God feel like to the psalmist (Ps 63:1-2)? To you? What is God's promise to those who earnestly seek him (Dt 4:29; Jer 29:13; Mt 7:7; 5:6; Heb 11:6)?

• To the psalmist what is better than life and as satisfying as food (Ps 63:3, 5)? What does he do (Ps 63:1,2,3,4-5,6,7,8)?

• When does the psalmist seek God (Ps 63:2, 6)? How different or similar are these two instances?

• How does the psalmist express his intimacy with God (Ps 63:7-8)?