Psalm 63: Morning Prayer of Longing for God

Psalm 63 (Psalm 62 in the Douay numbering) has been the Church's morning psalm since ancient times, and it is still prayed on Sundays and feasts at Morning Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. It opens with a cry of longing, "O God, my God, to thee do I watch at break of day," and compares the soul's thirst for God to a dry and waterless land.

Pray it as soon as you wake, before the day's noise begins, or during a morning holy hour. It is especially fitting in times of spiritual dryness, reminding us that the desire for God is itself a gift. The traditional Douay-Rheims version of the opening verses is below.

The Prayer

O God, my God, to thee do I watch at break of day. For thee my soul hath thirsted; for thee my flesh, O how many ways! In a desert land, and where there is no way, and no water: so in the sanctuary have I come before thee, to see thy power and thy glory. For thy mercy is better than lives: thee my lips shall praise. Thus will I bless thee all my life long: and in thy name I will lift up my hands. Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness: and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips. If I have remembered thee upon my bed, I will meditate on thee in the morning: because thou hast been my helper. And I will rejoice under the covert of thy wings: my soul hath stuck close to thee: thy right hand hath received me.

Sources: Psalm 62 (63):2-9, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.

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