Thirsting for God

 Scripture

 Psalm 42

¹   As a deer longs for flowing streams,
          so my soul longs for you, O God.
²   My soul thirsts for God,
          for the living God.
     When shall I come and behold
          the face of God?
³   My tears have been my food
          day and night,
     while people say to me continually,
          “Where is your God?”

⁴   These things I remember,
          as I pour out my soul:
     how I went with the throng,
          and led them in procession to the house of God,
     with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,
          a multitude keeping festival.
⁵   Why are you cast down, O my soul,
          and why are you disquieted within me?
     Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
          my help ⁶and my God.

     My soul is cast down within me;
          therefore I remember you
     from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
          from Mount Mizar.
⁷   Deep calls to deep
          at the thunder of your cataracts;
     all your waves and your billows
          have gone over me.
⁸   By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,
          and at night his song is with me,
          a prayer to the God of my life.

⁹   I say to God, my rock,
          “Why have you forgotten me?
     Why must I walk about mournfully
          because the enemy oppresses me?”
¹⁰  As with a deadly wound in my body,
          my adversaries taunt me,
     while they say to me continually,
          “Where is your God?”

¹¹  Why are you cast down, O my soul,
          and why are you disquieted within me?
     Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
          my help and my God.   (NRSV)

Devotion

Sooner or later, we all thirst for God as we remember a better time--a time where someone we loved was still with us, or we were in better health, or life seemed less painful and complex.  It was easy so to have faith when life was full of joy, but it can be hard to hold onto when times are tough.  It's not uncommon to find oneself longing for a God whose presence is hard to feel in the midst of our suffering.

Psalm 42 is written by someone well acquainted with longing for God.  Like so many of us, the psalmist feels hurt and dejected as they remember how things used to be.  Life was once good and joyful, but now the psalmist weeps all day and all night as others ask them, “Where is your God?”  They don't understand why it seems as though God has forgotten them.  They feel wounded and alone...like a thirsty, panting deer that seeking a stream of water in the desert.

Even in the midst of all their longing, the psalmist does not lose faith.  In verse 8, they write that God remains at their side.  Deep down, they know that God keeps loving them by day and singing to  them all night long.  As long as the Lord stays with them, the psalmist can trust that their time of sorrow will not last forever.  Therefore, the psalmist reminds their yearning, aching, soul, " Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God." (v 5, 11).

I'll admit that it is not easy to keep hope alive when we have been hurting for a long time.  In those moments when it seems like all the world has turned against us and life is nothing but pain and misfortune, it's important to remind our aching souls that God is still with us.  We can do so by taking time to searching our lives for signs of God's steadfast love.  When, for example, did God send us someone or something that brought a smile to our face?  What holy words of wisdom or comfort have come to us in the night?  

One of the ways that I remind myself to look for signs of God's steadfast love is by finding three things to  thank God for each day.  They can be small, every-day kinds of moments like a flower that brought me joy or the cup of coffee someone bought me out of the blue.  They can also be larger things like a mentor whose advice helped me bear a certain burden or a grant that enables a ministry to continue.  No matter how trying a day has been, I can find almost always find three blessings if I truly commit to doing so.  Often, I discover more than three. 

The other thing I find helpful is scheduling time to quiet my own thoughts and "listen" for God's song.  Depending on our needs, we can listen to God through contemplative prayer, reading scripture or devotions, listening to hymns, sitting in silence, deep breathing, or even coloring.  When we make a point of quieting our minds and shutting out the noise that surrounds us, we make it easier for us to hear Holy Spirit speaking to us.  And when we hear the Spirit's song, our souls are reinvigorated by the reminder that we are not alone.

I know that times are tough right now.  Many people are pining for a sip of God's living water.  If your soul longs for relief, I invite you to look for God's blessings and listen for the Holy Spirit's song.  As you do so, remind your soul to put its hope in God, for you shall praise the Holy One again.  Sorrow and weeping may last for a time, but a day of joy is coming.  On that day, you shall drink of living water to your soul's content.

"Thelma Yellin High School - Choir and Orchestra presents Mendelssohn Psalms 42 under Coronavirus"

 

Prayer

 God of Living Water, we pant and thirst for your goodness.  Help us to recognize your constant presence with us so that we continue placing our hope and trust in you.  We look forward to the day when our thirst is finally quenched.  Amen.