Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Thirsting for God (Ps. 42:1)

As a deer gets thirsty
for streams of water,
I truly am thirsty
for you, my God.

(Psalm 42:1, CEV)

A while ago, a popular praise song interpreted this psalm:
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after Thee.
You alone are my heart's desire,
And I long to worship Thee.
I remember singing these words and wanting so much for them to be true in my life.

To be so thirsty for Him that nothing else matters. And yet, so often I find myself spiritually parched because I haven’t sought after Him that fervently.

I’ve heard that a human being can go up to six weeks without food, but he can only survive mere days without water. If you’ve ever worked out hard or taken a long hike without drinking sufficient water, you know what being thirsty means.

God is the thirst-quencher of our souls, and when we go just a few days without spending time with Him in His word or through prayer, we begin to get thirsty.

Do you know what happens when your body doesn't get adequate water? Dehydration. And severe dehydration can lead to death.

Now if you are a true follower of Christ, and you have accepted the gift of salvation through His death and resurrection, you’ll never experience spiritual death—eternal separation from God. But you can be spiritually dehydrated.

One of the possible effects of physical dehydration is becoming comatose. And you can fall into a spiritual coma. Not caring about others. Not serving as you’ve been called. Skipping church. Not praying.

If you find yourself spiritually dehydrated, go to the thirst-quencher. Saturate yourself in His word. Spend time with Him in prayer.

And let the chorus of the praise song mentioned above permeate your heart and soul:
You alone are my strength, my shield.
To You alone may my spirit yield.
You alone are my heart's desire,
And I long to worship Thee.

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