A Closer Look at Psalm 42 and What It Means to Thirst for God
By Emma Danzey
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” – Psalm 42:1-2
Do you remember being a child coming in from a hot afternoon at recess? Every child was parched and ready to be the one who had the privilege of drinking from the water fountain. When it was finally your turn to step up to the water, the cold refreshment brought relief, instant gratitude and energized you to get back to class. I remember how wonderful I felt after rehydrating.
Or how about when you are outside working hard in the yard, or on the beach in the blazing sun and you finally get to your water bottle? We live in a day and society where clean water is freely accessed. We are privileged to have this within reach.
As we think back to Biblical times, many would have gathered at wells for water. It took effort and time to retrieve the necessary amount for survival each day. It was a daily discipline to seek out the water.
Do we thirst for Jesus like that? The question is challenging. Psalm 42 brings us to the reality that the prayer of the Psalmist was to thirst for God.
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.
Jesus tells us in John 4 that He is the Living Water. When we drink from the water that He gives, we will never grow thirsty again.
Preacher Win shares, “The Roe Deer and the Fallow deer are common to Israel…The deer is not just casually thirsty for cool, refreshing water, but if the deer is panting, the deer is hot and will overheat if it does not get water to help cool it down… We would expect panting to be taking place after some exertion, a run perhaps away from a hunter.”
Are you weary today? Have you been pursued by your flesh or the enemy? Does this life have you panting for renewal? Jesus has told us that He is the One whom we need. Our panting (or longing) is for Jesus. When we envision a stream, it is constant, it is strong and flowing. We do not just long for spiritual renewal, we long for the consistency and beauty that is found in Christ.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”
Water is not just a want, but water is a need for life. It is widely known that you cannot go more than 3 days without water. As we think about the driest places on earth such as deserts or peaks of mountain ranges, survival cannot happen there without preparation of some good old H20.
Psalm 63:1 says it beautifully, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
In a greater way than the need for physical water, we need God. Our desire to be filled up by the Holy Spirit can often be ignored or delayed. However, Jesus is inviting us to come to the water. The action is come. The invitation is clear. When we surrender to His call, we seek Him and find Him. First, we have to recognize our thirst for God. Then, we go to meet with Him.
When I think about a deer going to water, I assume it is for thirst. However, I gained a new perspective from a hunter online. He shares that deer “always go to water when they are thirsty, but they also go to water when they have been ‘wounded south of the diaphragm in the stomach or the guts.’”
God in All Things teaches: “The gut is the raw innards. There’s no holding back the truth that comes from the gut, almost as if we’re not in control of what it has to say.”
When I ponder the deer panting for the water, that deer could also be injured. A soul might be in need of healing. The only hope of survival and restoration would be the water. When our souls pants for God, we remember that we were once headed for death, but we came to the only Water who could save us. Jesus Christ came to us and for us to be rescued and restored. We can praise Him for being our Living Water. We thirst for Him every day.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you thirsting for the Living Water? How has your soul longed for Christ lately?
Further Reading:
2 Chronicles 7:14
Jeremiah 29:13
James 4:8
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/RyanTangPhoto
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