1 As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.
2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?
3 Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?”
4 My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks
amid the sound of a great celebration!
5 Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!
6 Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you— even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar.
7 I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.
8 But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.
9 “O God my rock,” I cry, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?”
10 Their taunts break my bones. They scoff, “Where is this God of yours?”
11 Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!
The Psalm today is attributed to "the descendents of Korah." This is of interest because the two biblical figures named Korah were both villians. At any rate,there are eleven psalms (Psalms 42; 44; 45; 46; 47; 48; 49; 84; 85; 87; 88) composed by the sons of Korah.
I've heard it said we can live more than a month without food...but only a few days without water. I guess that gives us some sense of the importance of each.
Maybe our author was on to something when he said "as the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God". I'm thinking he knew he could not last very long without God before he would succumb to the evils of this world.
Yet some of us go great lengths of time without God...and we wonder why life is dry.
Our Psalmist characterizes his walk through life like one might describe a journey through the desert. He says "I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?” Imagine yourself stranded in the middle of Death Valley. Take the word "water" and substitute it for "God" in that passage...you'll get my point.
So he struggles. He recalls how joyful and thankful his life was when God's presence surrounded him. It's probably his ability to thank back to better days with God that ultimately provides our writer the energy, focus and motivation he needs to return to his source of nourishment. He says "Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you—each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life". Just the act of remembering unleashes the power of God. His soothing presence washes over him like a flood of fresh water.
His thirst has been quenched...
Occasionally I feel like the author. I yearn for a more vital relationship with God. When His presence soaks the soil of my life things begin to grow. I become vital and fruitful. I become a source of refreshment and nourishment for those around me. But, often my life is dry and parched. I've gone too long without God and things begin to wither and atrophy. I know which one I prefer.
So...do I really believe Jesus when He says "I am the living water"? If I did, I surely wouldn't go so long between drinks. How about you?
Live boldly out there today...
