“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” (Psalm 42:1)
How often do you feel sad? Sadness can be a fleeting feeling in the middle of a busy day, or it can overwhelm us for weeks and months. We’re going to talk about sadness (or depression or “feeling down”) this week – but we’re not going to talk about how to fix it.
Psalm 42 is a song about sadness apparently intended to be sung in public. The writer admits to being deeply “downcast,” but he responds to his sadness in a weird way. More on that later in the week.
He starts the song with the picture of a thirsty deer looking for a stream. It might be easier for us to imagine a dog coming in from a long walk and making a bee line for it’s water dish. The writer’s point is that he was thirsty for God like that – needy, eager, desperate.
More tomorrow about feeling lonely for God.
Think: Do you ever feel so lonely for God that it feels like a thirst, like you’re desperate? Would it be weird to feel sad because you can’t be with God?
Pray: Ask God to help you to increase your thirstiness for him.
Do: Think about being needy for God in your soul next time you feel physically thirsty.