Desperate for God

Water is central to the life of deer, who are known to drink up to five quarts of water per day. They tend to rest near water, and often go to water before eating.

It was this relationship that inspired the psalmist to describe his attitude toward God. He must have had first-hand experience of deer and seen how important water was to their survival, sleeping, and diet. Water was so important that, in many ways, they built their life around water and never were far from it.

The Bible says just as deer “long” for water, the psalmist thirsted for God. He wasn’t just interested in God. He didn’t approach His house with a sense of obligation. He realized that God was central to his very existence.

God wasn’t just a figure from history but the “living God.” The all-powerful Creator. The psalmist longed for Him. He craved His presence. Being with Him was central to his existence.

He was sensitive to this need because he was dealing with difficulties. Others mocked him, asking, “Where is your God?” Instead of giving up, he turned to God with greater intensity. He remembered how, in the past, he had led others in “procession to the house of God.” How this relationship had been full of “glad shouts and songs of praise.”

When he felt discouraged, he remembered what God had done. He remembered the life-changing things he experienced in His presence: “Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me.”

Like deer sleeping near water, the psalmist felt God’s protection, knowing that “at night his song is with me.” Others may taunt him, but God’s presence brought real comfort.

Today, don’t feel cast down or dominated by turmoil. Hope in God, and praise Him. Know that He is your salvation.