Thirsting for God

I was looking at Psalm 42 while preparing for a devotion:

"As a deer pants for flowing streams,

so pants my soul for you, O God.

2 My soul thirsts for God,

for the living God.

When shall I come and appear before God?”

We talked about the difference between saying you hunger after God and “My soul thirsts for God”. When you are hungry it can be intense and distracting, but usually you can go on with what you are doing. The hungry feeling goes away and comes back more intense the next time. But if you are thirsty, it is very distracting and hard to think about anything else until you quench that thirst. Do we thirst for God like that?

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my salvation and my God.    (see context below)

I love how honest the Psalmist is with God! Honesty is so important in any relationship if you want to be close, but in no relationship is it more important than in our relationship with God. What keeps us from being completely honest with God? Do we not want to take the time? Are we afraid God won't like what we have to say? If we are honest with God will it force us to be honest with ourselves – and we don't really want to go there? Whatever the obstacle – remove it and start being honest with the Sovereign God of the universe who loved the world so much that he sent his only Son to die so that whoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life (see John 3:16).

I also love how the Psalmist speaks truth to himself “Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” Where does this come from? God's word is truth and we need to be reading it every day. And when we are strugging, we can go to his word and find what we need. But what if we don't have a Bible or our phone handy? How much better to hide his word in our hearts, so that when the time comes the Holy Spirit can bring it to the forefront of our minds. Memorize God's word and be strategic about it. We all have stuggle areas. Why not memorize something that speaks to the struggle you have? And if you need suggestions, ask a trusted friend or an older brother or sister in Christ.

42 As a deer pants for flowing streams,
    so pants my soul for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God,
    for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food
    day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
    “Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember,
    as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
    and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
    a multitude keeping festival.

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation 6 and my God.

My soul is cast down within me;
    therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
    from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
    at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
    have gone over me.
8 By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
    and at night his song is with me,
    a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, my rock:
    “Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
    because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As with a deadly wound in my bones,
    my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
    “Where is your God?”

11 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation and my God.        ESV