"As the deer pants for streams of water, So my soul pants for you, O God"

(Psalm 42:1)

     The picture of a deer panting for streams of water is probably not an image that is familiar to most of us, but we can certainly get the idea of what this poignant image is portraying. David's illustration brings to life, for us today, a vivid reminder of the mindset that we should have in our Christian walk. Psalm 42 was written by David at a low point in his life while he was in exile in the wilderness. Most likely it was during the time when he had to leave Jerusalem because of the rebellion against him instigated by his son Absalom. As we read through Psalm 42 we can see that it is the cry of a man far removed from the house of his God and from the worship in that house that he loved so much. At the same time it is the voice of a spiritual believer, fighting depression, longing for the renewal of God's divine presence, struggling with doubts and fears, but yet holding his ground by his faith in the living God.

     The word pant is the key to understanding the profound urgency of the situation. When a deer is at the point of panting for water, he is desperate. Water is now not a luxury but a life or death necessity. David is pleading for the enjoyment of communion with God. It was at the point of an urgent need of his soul. He viewed it not as a luxury, but as an absolute necessity, like water to the thirsty deer.

     "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God." This is a basic comparison statement that says with this same need, intensity, or desperation, such as a deer in dire need of water, is how we ought to desire and actively seek the Lord's presence in our lives. When David says that his soul pants for God, he is saying that his inner being, his deepest life, all that he was, are insatiable for a sense of God's divine presence.

     Our desire for the Lord's presence in our lives is a serious and necessary commitment. Thirst is a perpetual appetite and not to be ignored. So should be our soul's continual longing after God. It should be perpetual and not to be ignored or placed on the back burner. When it is as natural for us to fervently long for God as it is for an animal to thirst for water, then it is, indeed, well with our souls.

R.Leavitt
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