Soul thirst

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As the deer pants for flowing streams,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
Where shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1 ESV)

You can almost picture the doe, beginning to feel panicky to find water, any water. Her tongue is swollen and feels like dust. She pants for a brook, a creek, a pond. Somewhere to quench her thirst.

Some of us know what it's like to have years of drought. In the wooded countryside where I live, we hadn't seen deer for several years. But this year, after the rains, a young buck and a young doe are again grazing the trees and shrubs near our home. There's water again.

Have you ever felt like the thirsty doe? We can have a good job, strong family, and even a strong emotional support system, and still be thirsty in our souls. You can put all the food in the world in front of a deer, but unless it has water, the food is superfluous.

For we humans, that water is an ongoing friendship with Jesus. He satisfies us deep within, even when everything else is in turmoil.

"Where can I go and meet with God?" the Psalmist inquired. Though I've heard people say they worship God on the golf course, I wonder. They're getting a physical and mental refreshment there, but worship?

God wants the Church to be an environment in which He can work in the lives of believers. I can recall many occasions when I have sat in church or in a Christian conference I was attending, and as the meeting went on I found God speaking to me. Questions I had been wondering about, problems I had pondered, suddenly began to resolve themselves. Often it had nothing at all to do with what the preacher or conference speaker was saying.

I long to see that atmosphere, in which God can work, become more and more powerful in our churches, and in congregations all over the world. Because where God is at work, our thirst is quenched, our dry spells are alleviated, and our soul is refreshed.

Are you thirsty? Good. I know where you can find refreshment. It is Jesus alone who is able to quench our spiritual thirst (John 7:37).

Dr Ralph E Wilson
California, USA - joyfulheat.com; info@grace-lines.net