Psalm 42 is David getting a hold of his inner man. He knows that he can't stay in his current condition; so he takes responsibility for his well-being and pleads with his soul to regain hope. This psalm has encouraged (and convicted) me more than once to get a hold of myself.
But that is not what I necessarily desire to talk about here. I would like to focus on the first two verses.
"As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God."
Immediately the word "flowing" caught my attention. And as I read the beginning, I got this picture in my mind.
When I was in Wyoming, I spent a lot of time hiking, backpacking, and camping. In late July, my three friends and I backpacked into Paintbrush Canyon in the Grand Teton Mountains. It was really one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. We had set up our tent and decided to hike further up to explore. As the elevation grew higher, so did the snow. Eventually we were walking through deep snow, and as I found out the hard way when my foot slip through, was deep enough to go up to my waist. Anyway, you can imagine that there was also quite a bit of snow melting and coming down the side of the mountain.
We were close to a source and took the opportunity to drink the cleanest and coolest water that was melting as fresh as could be. This my friends, is the most amazing water you could ever drink. I wish I could have bottled enough for a lifetime, but I had only one bottle with me. And I savored it....the refreshing, chilled, fresh, clean water.
In Psalm 42, the deer pants for "flowing" streams. It doesn't say the lake, or the pond, or a still water source. The word says FLOWING. Take it from me, flowing is the best. Not only is water better when flowing, but it is cleaner and healthier. Water at a stand still becomes stagnant and a breeding ground for disease...this brings me to another (quick) story.
One dayI was running the Greenways path with my wonderful friend Savannah. We had been running for a while and the day was heating up...I became very, very thirsty. We were passing a stream that in the moment looked so refreshing. Boy was it enticing, but I knew that there was no way I would ever drink from it. It was a source of water that looked really good to my thirsty mouth...but was not beneficial.
My soul thirsts for God. For the LIVING God. I thirst for the best too. I don't want to settle for a still water source...I don't even want to settle for water that may seem refreshing, but isn't. No, my soul thirsts for the freshest, cleanest, coming-directly-from-the-mountain top water. The flowing water.
I believe many people, if they thirst at all, settle. Some settle for the lake, because it's already there and it's available...this could represent religion. A large majority settle for the water that is enticing and may seem nice, but isn't the best...this would be the average "Christian" life, or salvation. But there are some who pant for the the most pure and lovely of water. These are the people drinking God's best.
This may seem a fuzzy or not so clear analogy...it's just coming out as I type, with no preparation or intention. I suppose it might be me dissecting the psalm as I go.
But the point here is that we are suppose to pant for God as a deer pants for a flowing stream. Pant is a strong desire for some water. And this is a strong desire for the best.
The Message puts it this way,
"I want to drink God, deep draughts of God. I'm thirsty for God-alive."
I want to encourage you (and myself) to deeply desire the best of God...to pant for the water that is alive. David started the psalm with this desire as he looked upon his condition. He knew that what was needed to get a hold of his inner man was first the desire to want God more than anything else. Want God more than anything or anyone else!
1 comment:
Thank you for these words of wisdom and a great reminder!!
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