Quenching the Soul's Thirst with God's Presence
Psalm 42:1
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
After hearing the songs of the psalmist, it is easy to see why he “panted” after the Lord. It seems that he was continually surrounded and pursued by his enemies. Everywhere he turned, it seems someone was trying to harm or kill him. Have you ever felt like that? Life certainly is miserable when we find ourselves chased, cornered, and chastised. But, take heart, weary saint, God has a place of rest, refreshment, and renewal provided for you. When David was forced from his home, 2 Samuel 23:15 records that, “…David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” There are times when our mouths are parched with thirst, and the only thing that will satisfy our thirst is that cool, refreshing water that only God can provide. As the children of Israel journeyed in the wilderness, they came across a spring called Marah, but when they tried to drink, they could not because the waters were bitter. Isn’t that just like this old world we live in? People are wandering everywhere, searching for something to quench their thirst, and what they find is cool to the lips but bitter to the stomach.
Friend, I’m glad to tell you there is a remedy for the bitter wells of life. Moses asked the Lord what to do, and in Exodus 15:25, the Bible says, “…the LORD showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet…” God can fix your bitter waters too. You just need to pause and allow Him to reveal Himself to you. It could very well be that God allowed you to become parched in your desert so that you would “pant” after Him. I once saw a picture taken during a forest fire in Montana. In the picture, you can see the trees and mountains engulfed in flames, but at the bottom of the picture, there are two deer standing in the stream sheltered from the fire. My soul! Isn’t that just the picture of this verse? In a world that scorches everything it touches, there is a place of protection and provision found in the cool water of His presence. How long has it been since we, as the hart, panted after God? How long has it been since we ran to His presence? Instead of tasting everything else, let God quench your thirst with His life-giving water!
~ C.D.
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
After hearing the songs of the psalmist, it is easy to see why he “panted” after the Lord. It seems that he was continually surrounded and pursued by his enemies. Everywhere he turned, it seems someone was trying to harm or kill him. Have you ever felt like that? Life certainly is miserable when we find ourselves chased, cornered, and chastised. But, take heart, weary saint, God has a place of rest, refreshment, and renewal provided for you. When David was forced from his home, 2 Samuel 23:15 records that, “…David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” There are times when our mouths are parched with thirst, and the only thing that will satisfy our thirst is that cool, refreshing water that only God can provide. As the children of Israel journeyed in the wilderness, they came across a spring called Marah, but when they tried to drink, they could not because the waters were bitter. Isn’t that just like this old world we live in? People are wandering everywhere, searching for something to quench their thirst, and what they find is cool to the lips but bitter to the stomach.
Friend, I’m glad to tell you there is a remedy for the bitter wells of life. Moses asked the Lord what to do, and in Exodus 15:25, the Bible says, “…the LORD showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet…” God can fix your bitter waters too. You just need to pause and allow Him to reveal Himself to you. It could very well be that God allowed you to become parched in your desert so that you would “pant” after Him. I once saw a picture taken during a forest fire in Montana. In the picture, you can see the trees and mountains engulfed in flames, but at the bottom of the picture, there are two deer standing in the stream sheltered from the fire. My soul! Isn’t that just the picture of this verse? In a world that scorches everything it touches, there is a place of protection and provision found in the cool water of His presence. How long has it been since we, as the hart, panted after God? How long has it been since we ran to His presence? Instead of tasting everything else, let God quench your thirst with His life-giving water!
~ C.D.