"As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?"
Psalm 42:1-2
On at least three different occasions this morning the prayer went up that our hearts would be stirred up for God. It's not something that we can do on our own. We can't create an enthusiasm that will please God. But, the Spirit can descend on us and give us a hunger for more.
In Psalm 42 the Psalmist is reflecting on the trouble of his life and the past goodness of the Lord. He is torn between the reality of pain in his life and the goodness that he has tasted from God's presence. It is in the midst of this conflict that he writes, "As the deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God."
How does our soul "pant" for God and what does a panting soul look like? I think it looks like a man or a woman who has heard the call of God in their life and refuses to give up on that calling despite the obstacles. I'm thinking of Anna and Simeon in the book of Luke Chapter 3. It says that Simeon was told by the Holy Spirit he would not die before seeing the consolation of Israel. So, moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts at the age of 84 and encountered the new born Jesus. Anna likewise never left the temple day or night. Her soul was panting after God. Despite the long wait, she knew that her soul wasn't going to be satisfied at home. She had to stay where living water would pour forth.
Get bold in the calling of God. Embrace the call of God. Get hungry to see a revelation of the living God in our lifetimes that will astound many. It's already happening. God is on the move. He is healing the sick and releasing the demon possessed. He's going to the hungry hearts who have been crying out for him. Be a prophet in your own family, home, and workplace. Be a voice that will not stop proclaiming the goodness of God until it is so fully evident that every tongue is silenced.
Seek His Face Always
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