by Robert Fudge

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" 4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.

As we consider again this passage, let’s look at the first verse today. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. Every time I read this verse I am reminded of what Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness…” Do we really long for the will of God in our lives? Do we long for his word and his righteousness in our hearts, as the deer pants for water? I have often heard others say they wished they knew the Bible like someone in their acquaintance. Do they really? Some make excuses like they just can’t remember things or don’t have time, or just can’t understand, and the list goes on and on. These same people find several hours each week for TV or computers. Some find hours for sports and recreation but can’t squeeze in a few minutes each day for studying God’s word. While I am encouraged by the response of so many about this devotional, if this is your whole diet for spiritual food you are probably suffering spiritual malnutrition.

We need to seek God in his word, the Bible, for this is the only place that he has revealed his will for us. We need to seek God in prayer, spending time talking with him, for this is the other side of our communion with him. We need to listen for God as he speaks to us in our hearts and in our conscience through his Holy Spirit for this is when his will becomes personal for us and to us. We then need to seek God in our lives as we live for him by following his will. Some of the greatest spiritual lessons that I have ever learned have come from my observation of other people. By knowing what God wants and seeing it in the lives of others, it has helped me to be able to put it into practice in my life. When I see someone who is doing good because of their commitment to God, or someone who endures suffering in faith, or someone who is kind when mistreated, or who forgives without ever being asked, or who is strong against temptation to sin, I see God’s will in action and I am encouraged to draw closer to God and to depend on him more.

The Apostle Paul tells us in Acts 8:27-28 that God is not far from us and that we need to reach out and find him because it is in him that we live and move and have our very being. We are told to seek God and we will find him. Draw near to him and he will draw near to us. Be anxious for nothing, the LORD is near. You see, God wants to be in us and in our lives but is waiting on us to move toward him. Not for us to move first but for us to respond to his move toward us. God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. He made the first move and the greatest move because of his love for us. He built the bridge over the chasm of sin and death and now we must by faith go across his bridge to him. Ask yourself today: do I long for God as the deer pants for streams of water?

Dear God, please open my heart to know you better. Please strengthen my heart that I may desire you more. Give me wisdom that I may understand you and your will in my life. Show me how to live for you and lead others to you. Thank you for making the first move toward me so that I can come to you through the sacrifice of Jesus. In his name we come to you.

May God bless each of us today as we live for him.