A Panting Soul

Psalm 42:1-5

As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

The above picture was captured by Ms. Carmie Rowell from her beautiful home and she courteously permitted me to use it for my devotional. As I was gazing at this marvelous picture of the deer above, I sensed that this deer was content strolling on the green pastures. I wondered how a panting deer would appear in its state of utmost expectancy to find the water brooks. This instantly reminded me of the song “As the deer panteth for the water…” and the Psalm 42. I dwelled on these five verses for quite some time and I positioned myself in place of the Psalmist.

A panting deer would have no desire other than an intense longing to find the water creek just so he may quench his thirst. The Psalmist is saying that his soul is panting after God in a similar fashion. His soul is panting for the Living God; not an idol that fails to hear, see, understand or sense the human longing. Yes, this Living God is the one who is all-pervading, the great I AM, the Alpha and Omega, the Creator, the Omnipotent, and the all-sustaining God of Ages! He is my Rock, my Shield, My Protector, my First-Love and the Bishop of My Soul. My soul hungers and thirsts for the selfsame Living God all-through. While the mundane concerns of this life may try to divert my focus for a moment, the deep passion and longing for my Savior pulls me like a magnet. Oh, how my soul longs to inhabit the courts of the Lord forever!

The Psalmist seems to have been terribly troubled by the countering question, “Where is thy God?” Perhaps he felt forsaken at the point in time for he was in a foreign land farther away from his own. In this foreign land he was deprived of this awesome privilege of worshipping with his people in the House of God. When we go through times like these, where we sense an abandoning in the spirit, that is when the divine longing intensifies and the power of God manifests in a supernatural way. When we are satiated in all spheres, the need for the King of Glory is very minimal or may be nil. The Psalmist is pouring out his soul in himself and crying within. The cry of his heart is to be in the house of God where he had once worshipped with the voice of joy and praise.

In the next verse, he is addressing his soul by saying, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.” This is where we should exactly land on. Our hope should be in the Lord. Why should our soul be disquieted in us? We should be uplifted because our hope is neither in us nor in the people around us but in the Lord alone. Just as the Psalmist felt strange in a foreign land where his dwelling was only temporary, we should feel while we are here on earth. The earth is a foreign land for us because we are strangers sojourning here for a while preparing to meet the King in the everlasting life afterward. Even when we go through a time of despondency, well before it takes us, let us rejoice and praise the Lord for the help of His countenance. Seek His face that is so fulfilling than fixing eyes on the temporal passions that are sure to fade away! When we are filled with God’s eternal expression of joy, we will be exactly like the deer that is well satisfied in the picture above. Yes, our panting for the Lord will be quenched when we commune with Him. While a soul that doesn’t pant for the Lord is casting eyes on things that are mortal, the soul that pants for the Lord is seeking the things that are spiritual and everlasting. This panting soul for the Lord will feast on the divine manna and drink from the fountain of the Living Waters.