Psalm 42:1-2a
As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirst for God, for the living God.
How many times have you been thirsty for God? I mean really thirsty just to be with God and no one else. David in this Psalm is describing how much he wanted to, and he says that he desired it so much that it was like the desire of a deer panting for fresh, cool water. Imagine it this way:
It's 100 degrees outside, you've been working all day and you haven't had much to drink. Then the time finally comes when your work is finished and you can go inside, sit down and have a cold glass of water. How much will you want that water? Will you get distracted on doing other stuff, or will you get your hands on that refreshing drink? That is the kind of passion we should have for communion with God. A kind of passion that comes to God like an exhausted overheated man comes to a cup of cold water. We should be desperate for Him.
So then why are we so seldom like this? I know that I far too often come to God and the Scriptures like I have to get it over with so I can just move onto the next thing when I should be relishing every moment spent with Him. So why are we this way? Why can't we always say what David did, that he was desperately thirsty for God? I think it has to do with how precious we think Jesus to be. If we think Jesus is the most precious and wonderful person in the universe, able to satisfy all of our deepest desires, we will run to Him excitedly for refreshment, but if we view Him as some kind of distant controlling dictator in the clouds, He'll be on of the last places we go to seek our joy. David understood this; he knew how wonderful a friendship with the Lord is, and he acted accordingly.
A song entitled "You are My All in All" put it well: "You are my strength when I am weak, you are the treasure that I seek; you are my all in all. Seeking you as a precious jewel, Lord, to give up I'd be a fool; you are my all in all."
David believed that Jesus is the most pleasant, most satisfying, most fulfilling, most precious, most valuable, most awesome, most wonderful, most perfect companion one could ever have. Now the question is, do you?
As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirst for God, for the living God.
How many times have you been thirsty for God? I mean really thirsty just to be with God and no one else. David in this Psalm is describing how much he wanted to, and he says that he desired it so much that it was like the desire of a deer panting for fresh, cool water. Imagine it this way:
It's 100 degrees outside, you've been working all day and you haven't had much to drink. Then the time finally comes when your work is finished and you can go inside, sit down and have a cold glass of water. How much will you want that water? Will you get distracted on doing other stuff, or will you get your hands on that refreshing drink? That is the kind of passion we should have for communion with God. A kind of passion that comes to God like an exhausted overheated man comes to a cup of cold water. We should be desperate for Him.
So then why are we so seldom like this? I know that I far too often come to God and the Scriptures like I have to get it over with so I can just move onto the next thing when I should be relishing every moment spent with Him. So why are we this way? Why can't we always say what David did, that he was desperately thirsty for God? I think it has to do with how precious we think Jesus to be. If we think Jesus is the most precious and wonderful person in the universe, able to satisfy all of our deepest desires, we will run to Him excitedly for refreshment, but if we view Him as some kind of distant controlling dictator in the clouds, He'll be on of the last places we go to seek our joy. David understood this; he knew how wonderful a friendship with the Lord is, and he acted accordingly.
A song entitled "You are My All in All" put it well: "You are my strength when I am weak, you are the treasure that I seek; you are my all in all. Seeking you as a precious jewel, Lord, to give up I'd be a fool; you are my all in all."
David believed that Jesus is the most pleasant, most satisfying, most fulfilling, most precious, most valuable, most awesome, most wonderful, most perfect companion one could ever have. Now the question is, do you?