“As
the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living
God. When can I go and meet with God?”
–Ps 42:1-2 kjv
What do you yearn for? What is your greatest desire? What grips your heart so strongly that
without it you feel as if you could die?
Do you feel this passionately about something right now? I believe we should ask ourselves these
questions because our easy American lifestyle tends to lend our pursuit of God
a feeling of “second nature”.
Our activities become
“second nature” when we no longer have to give them our full conscious
attention but can accomplish them out of habit.
An example of this is driving. My
Mother and Father required that I study the driving manual for California
(where I lived when I was sixteen years old) and learn how to change a tire
before I was allowed to take the test for a learner’s permit. When I accomplished this then I had to have
one of them in the car with me while I drove with them giving advice and
directions. I was concerned to drive
safely and listened to their advice. I
was very focused on what I was doing, giving special attention to be aware of
cars ahead of me and behind me, watching my speed and keeping enough distance
to be able to respond in time. I made
mistakes at first, but fortunately they were minor and I did not have any
accidents. As I kept following the same
procedures I grew into a more experienced driver. When I review my driving habits now, I find
that I still follow much of what I learned yet I do not always give it
conscious thought. Driving is now
“second nature”.
The irony of something
becoming “second nature” is that it can stifle growth as well. When I first learned to use the Internet over
ten years ago a fast modem was only 14K whereas now speeds exceed 3G. I could have become frustrated with the new
computer applications for internet use and stubbornly used my old Windows 3.11
computer, but year by year access to web pages would decrease until my old modem
would not even be able to load the simplest page. Instead I learned to use new browsers and
upgrades and now enjoy easy research and communication at my fingertips in a
fraction of the time I used to spend.
The Christian walk can
become “second nature” and in a way, it should.
“Christian” means “Christ-like” and one thing we observed about Christ
is that He regularly went off by Himself to spend time with His Father. Our Heavenly Father is so great, so
marvelous, and so wondrous that He is beyond our ability to fathom. There is no end to the things we can glean
from our time with Him. We should be
“Christ-like” and seek His heart regularly to find newness in our walk but sometimes,
more often than not, we stifle or even cease to grow because our daily
“devotion” is done out of habit or by “second nature”.
I believe we should examine
ourselves regularly to see what our focus is and if our walk has become too
“second nature”.
“A
white-tailed deer drinks from the creek; I want to drink God, deep draughts of
God.” –Ps 42:2 MSG
Have you ever been out
working in the yard on a hot summer day?
After a while you get hot and thirsty so you go in and pour a big glass
of cool water. Do you just take a few sips? No!
You gulp it down until the last drop is drained. Psalm 42 tells of someone who wants God so
desperately that it is as strong as the desire for water on a hot day. Water is needed daily for life. When you go without water for about two to
four hours your body starts to retain fluids in preparation of the chance of
not receiving more. After six to eight
hours your body is becoming mildly dehydrated, your lips and mouth become
dry. After 24 hours your mouth becomes
sticky and your lips crack. Within 48
hours your kidneys can start to shut down and toxins usually filtered by them
and excreted through the urine build up in your internal organs. Without water you can die within three to
four days. Water is ESSENTIAL to
life. In Psalm 42 the Psalmist is
expressing how important God IS to him.
It is essential – the essence of life itself.
“As
a deer gets thirsty for streams of water, I truly am thirsty for you, my God.
In my heart, I am thirsty for you, the living God. When will I see your
face?” –Ps 42:1-2 CEV
Let us examine
ourselves. Is there a longing in our
hearts for God? Does it grow daily? Do we yearn to see His face? He is calling us to draw closer. He is urging us to look into His eyes. He is offering us a deep thirst-quenching
drink.
How will we respond?
(KJV = King James Version
MSG =The Message Bible
CEV =Contemporary English Version)
