Psalms 42:1-3 1As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? 3My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
The first verse’s lyrics become a well-known church song. In the song, it expresses a yearning to know God more personally, yet in the psalm, it is a plea for escape from the psalmist’s position. It reminds me of Job’s request to make his case before God. We do not know what is causing David’s anguish. It could have been when he fled from Saul, Absalom, or because to illness. There are dark valleys through which God leads us that heighten our yearning for Him. Nobody wants to go down them, but oh, the maturation of our spirit that comes from the sorrow. We seek for God’s presence to be our refuge from the trials of life, but He occasionally withholds it from us.
Prayer: God, help me know You more deeply. Show me Your character, teach me to trust You, and draw me closer to You in everyday life. Amen.
