1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, 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 continually say to me, “Where is your God?”
What do you do when you are thirsty?
You drink.
You drink water or something that will cool your thirst in the natural.
What do you do when you are spiritually thirsty?
Who do you go to?
How do you quench your spiritual thirst?
Many believers don’t even realise that there is a spiritual thirst. They have become so
satisfied with events, activities and conferences.
The Psalmist tells us that just as the deer pants for water so does his soul pant for God. The Psalmist uses the panting of a deer for water as a metaphor for his own thirst for God. This metaphorical phrase refers to the intense desire of the deer, in the heat of day, for water. It is the desire of the deer for water in a time of drought.
Following after the deer’s example do you recognise the drought, the spiritual drought, the drought of His glory and do you intensely pant for Him.
The Psalmist says in Psalm 63:8
My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.
These two scriptures illustrate an intense desire of the Psalmist panting after God.
When we look at our society today, we see the Church being maligned, we see Church leaders falling into sin, we see our children leaving the faith, we see all kinds of sickness, we see false teachers, prophets rising and deceiving many, we see the falling away of believers, we are seeing less and less of the power of God.
How do we respond to all these challenges facing the Church in the 21st century? I believe the answer is to chase after God, to pursue Him until we can get hold of Him.
Listen to the heart cry of the Psalmist here in verses 2 and 3
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 continually say to me, “Where is your God?”
The Psalmist’s life despite the blessings of God, was a constant desire for more of
God, always chasing after God.
Paul confessed that his sole desire and thirst was to know God.
To know Jesus more and more was Paul’s prayer despite all the revelation he had received from God.
Philippians 3:7-10
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
Everything Paul had achieved became insignificant when compared to his pursuit of knowing God.
Moses despite the great miracles, his constant communication with God was still wanted more of God.
God’s presence was his greatest desire and longing. We can hear him in Exodus 33
17 So the Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.”
18 And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”
Moses wanted all of God, he was not just satisfied with the grace and miracles of God. He was not just satisfied that God knew his name. He wanted more of God.
We have become so satisfied with the little God there is little longing for Him.
Moses said “Please, show me Your glory.”
He was asking for more of God. There has to be a desperate desire for more of God’s presence, if we want to see a manifestation of God in our meetings, in our homes, in our communities, in our work places, in our streets, our city and nation.
Programs, methods, seminars, as much as these things may sound great can never fully satisfy the longing of the heart. The longing of the heart is for God.
As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
We may fill it with everything else but the truth remains that, the hearts greatest longing is for God
The longing of God’s heart is to be desired by His children.
James 4:8
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
In as much as it might seem that many are falling away from the faith and seeking after other things. I can boldly say that there are still many who are still panting and seeking after God and crying out God, “We want to see Your glory”. They like the psalmist in Psalm 90 are saying
13 Return, O Lord! How long? And have compassion on Your servants.
14 Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
15 Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, the years in which we have seen evil.
16 Let Your work appear to Your servants, And Your glory to their children.
17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.
Today I want to encourage us to pursue after God, let us become GOD CHASERS.
May we not just be satisfied with crumbs.
May we not just be satisfied with trickles.
May we not just be satisfied with handovers.
May we desire more and we will be filled.
Let us today cry out Lord - “Please, show me Your glory.”
