As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (Psa 42:1-2)The imagery of the deer and water is illuminating. It's not a warm spot. It's not "affection." How does a deer pant for water? As a matter of life or death. As a matter of survival. Sure, it's pleasant, refreshing, all that, but it is life-giving more than anything. A deer pants for water because in that water is life. "So pants my soul for You, O God."
Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). "Nothing" is not a little "something." Conversely, Paul wrote, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Php 4:13). Since "from Him and through Him and to Him are all things" (Rom 11:36), it is clear that "all things" we do are from, through, and for Him. Thus, like a deer's deep desire to get water as a matter of iife, we should be pursuing God as a matter of life. It's not just "better" because of Him or "more pleasant" because He is with us. It is essential, as in "the essence of what we are."
It's easy to lose sight of this kind of thinking. Life seems so ... self-contained. It just ... happens. But Scripture disagrees. "In Him all things hold together" (Col 1:17). If He was to remove His hand -- let it "just happen" -- it would cease to be. So we long for God. Our souls thirst for God. Not to make life better ... but to make life.
1 comment:
The last sentence of verse 2 strikes home to me as well. I imagine it did Paul as well. I long to be rid of this flesh and to be prostrate before my God. When will you take me to your side, Lord? But until then, I will cling to You as my only source of life.
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