My soul thirsts for God, for the living God

Psalm 42 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and appear before God?
³ My tears have been my food day and night,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
⁴ I remember these things and pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go over with the multitude and walk them to the house of God,
With a voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude celebrating a festival.

⁵ Why are you in despair, my soul?
And why are you restless within me?
Wait for God, for I will again praise Him
For the help of His presence, my God.
⁶ My soul is in despair within me;
Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan
And the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
⁷ Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your breakers and Your waves have passed over me.
⁸ The Lord will send His goodness in the daytime;
And His song will be with me in the night,
A prayer to the God of my life.

⁹ I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
¹⁰ As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries taunt me,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
¹¹ Why are you in despair, my soul?
And why are you restless within me?
Wait for God, for I will again praise Him
For the help of His presence, my God.

The psalmist says:  As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?  In truth, that is the state of every person, our souls long for God. Many though try to satisfy their longing, to satiate their thirst with anything but God. No matter what else they turn to, they are left wanting more. People were created for fellowship with God. We were created in His image and likeness. (Genesis 1:26-27) In John 4:13-14 Jesus says: “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 

The psalmist says:  My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” I remember these things and pour out my soul within me. For I used to go over with the multitude and walk them to the house of God, With a voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude celebrating a festival. Why are you in despair, my soul? And why are you restless within me? Wait for God, for I will again praise Him For the help of His presence, my God. My soul is in despair within me.   When we are in despair, people may say, where is your God? When we are restless, then is the time to praise Him, because God inhabits the praises of His people. Psalm 22:3 says:  You are holy, You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.   Wherever we are, even in despair, our praise builds a throne for the presence of God. In Matthew 18:20 Jesus says: “Where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”  Even if we are alone, we have the Holy Spirit with us and in us. If our soul will agree with the Spirit, then Jesus will be there. In Matthew 28:20 Jesus says:  “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

The psalmist says:  Wait for God, for I will again praise Him For the help of His presence, my God.  Hebrews 4:15-16 says:  We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.  Rather than waiting for God, we should come to Him. He is waiting for us. In Luke 15:20-24, in the story of the prodigal son, Jesus says:  “So he set out and came to his father. But when he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, slaughter it, and let’s eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdMe6bD3teg 

Run to Him. He is waiting.  Amen