"The Soul That Pants"

The Psalmist paints for us a vivid picture of a persons soul that pants for God in the 42nd Psalm. He uses a deer that pants for water. The deer may have been on the run like a runaway train. The miles that were covered fleeing for his life and his lungs are hurting because of the sucking in of air deeply. His mouth is dry and parched and his throat seems to be on fire. He can wait no longer! Danger or not, he must find the nearest stream and drink or he will die. He pants for water! He finds a stream and licks up the cold water with life saving gulps. That's what I picture when I read this Psalm. "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul longs for You, O God."

The soul, the deep inner part of man, seems in despair and hurting. You can hear the writer groan and hurt as things in his life have worn him down and driven him to the edge and he feels it deep in his soul. We have had times in life where we are like that, haven't we? We have gone through things where it looks as if everything stands against us and wants us to drown in misery or loneliness. "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?" The tears seem to flow easily and others just do not understand the pain felt in the soul. A pain that no person on earth can take away. "These things I remember and I pour out of my soul within me." Memories of the past are longed for and the days of joy and thankfulness are desired but at the present, we find our souls hurting and needing to find strength.

Here is the deer, at the limit of his endurance and it knows one thing: "Find water!" Here we are as humans hurting and despairing and there is only one thing we need to know: "Find God!" For it is only in God that we have a reason to hope and move forward! You hear, "Here, over here, let me give you some good advice and counsel!" Will it help me find God? "Here, over here is my friendship!" Will it help me see the face of God? "Here, over here is a place you can run to and lay down to rest for a while." Will I find God there? "Here, over here is a book that really helped me in my time of need!" Will it lead me into the presence of God? "Here, over here is a seminar you should attend or a support group that you need. Will they bring me to God? The troubled, hurting soul needs one thing and that is God! "The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; and His song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of my life." The soul that pants for God and Him alone will find relief in the presence of God. What does your soul pant for when you become wearied and weak?