Day #200 - As the Deer
The Presence - A Devotional for living in Thanksgiving, Worship and Wonder
“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?”
Psalms 42:1-2 NIV
Have you ever been so dehydrated you would do anything for a drink of water?
Have you ever experienced desperate thirst? We live in the age of so many different types of water that are available. There is electrolyte water, alkaline water, reverse osmosis water and flavored water. There is plastic bottled water, glass bottled water and boxed water. My youngest daughter is convinced that boxed water is the best. Every store is now full of all types of water that promise perfect hydration for the satisfaction of your thirst.
In Psalm 42, the Psalmist says that he is desperately thirsty for God as a deer pants for streams of water. I heard a powerful excerpt from Pastor Charlie Dates who studied this passage as it relates to deers. Deers can move very quickly but they don’t sweat. So they can overheat when they are on the run from a predator. When a deer cannot get to water to cool down, it begins to pant to cool itself, but its panting releases a scent that helps predators find it. But when a deer gets to the water, it cools itself down and can stay hidden from whatever is hunting it.
People of “the Presence” are desperate for God and thirst for Him. When you love God so much, you would do anything to get another drink of His presence, you are like the deer. Oh how our souls should long for God. When we thirst for Him and pursue Him until we receive a drink from His Spirit, we are refreshed and hidden from our enemies that pursue us.
The streams or rivers of water in the Scripture speak of “the Presence” of the Holy Spirit. This Psalmist knew that all he needed when he is being pursued or he is tired and weary in life is to go and meet with God. To meet with God is to drink of His presence and receive the quenching of the thirst in our soul. Our need for God is our greatest need in life. It’s not enough to just know that we need Him or agree that we need Him, but to pursue Him in our thirst until we are satisfied in Him.
Lord, as the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You. You are the longing of my heart and soul. I thirst for You my God, the living God. I long to go and meet with You. There is no one like You. Only You can satisfy my thirsty soul. I love you Lord. In Jesus name, amen.
We meet first thing every morning and He fills me to overflowing!!!
Thank You Jesus! : )
I don't know when or how I subscribe to this, but I am so grateful that I did! Every morning when I wake up and sit down and open my phone, the first thing I do (some days I mess up) is open this email read it and pray in my days where I do this first before anything else I noticed things go so much smoother and I am blessed. Too thirst, for God in my eyes first open is a blessing. To know, God is a blessing, and I am truly blessed.