January 6

O God, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You. My body yearns for You in a dry and weary land without water. — Ps 63:1 BSB

David speaks of seeking God for who He is, not just for what He gives. His gifts are one thing, but He Himself is another. David says, "O God, you are my God; early will I seek you," meaning he seeks God Himself, not merely His blessings. A bride may treasure the gifts her bridegroom gives, but they are nothing compared to her bridegroom himself. In the same way, the Church values the gifts and blessings of her heavenly Husband, but they are insignificant next to Him, who is altogether lovely and beyond compare. There is something in God Himself, as revealed to the soul by faith, that alone can satisfy a heart touched by His Spirit and grace.

The soul was made for God, and only God can truly satisfy its desires. He created the soul with the capacity to know and enjoy Him. Nothing but God can fill this capacity. His favor is life, His presence is heaven begun, and His love is a foretaste of eternal joy. So when we seek His blessings, we do not seek them apart from Him. We value the gifts, but we treasure the Giver more. Without Him, the gifts would be meaningless. Just as a wedding ring signifies union, but is meaningless without the bridegroom, so all the blessings God gives us would be empty if He did not give Himself as well.

When the Lord gives His love, He gives Himself. No other gift can satisfy the desires of an awakened soul. The soul cries, "It is Jesus that I want! Without Him, even heaven would be like hell. Without Him, life would not be life, glory would not be glory, and immortality would not be immortality."

Just as the earth cannot exist without the sun, so the Church cannot exist without Jesus. No human effort, no matter how bright, can replace the light of the Sun of Righteousness. He must be, and is, everything to us. With Him, we have everything; without Him, we have nothing. May the Holy Spirit write this truth deeply on your heart, so that it may go with you wherever you go. If you have Jesus, you have everything. If you do not have Him, you have nothing. This continual awareness of happiness in Him, and misery without Him, maintained by the Spirit in your heart, will lead you to seek Him constantly. This is why David said, "Early will I seek you."