THE QUEST FOR GOD (Part 6).
Psalms 42. Verses 1 & 2 read
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
There is in every man a “God shaped” vacuum that must be filled. It is God alone who can fill this vacuum to bring satisfaction to the human soul. Sadly and out of ignorance, men explore various things in life in the hope of filling this vacuum, all in futility. Fame, wealth, accomplishments, and others are some of the things men pursue to fill this vacuum, which only God can fill.
In today’s text, David uses the imagery of a panting deer that is in desperate need of water to explain the kind of quest men must have for God. Panting refers to breathing quickly in a desperate manner. The panting deer strongly desires water as a means of cooling down. There is also the argument that the deer will often seek a stream or source of water that erases its scent trail to put off its predators. Thus, for the deer, this desperate quest for water is for its survival, security, and safety.
Like the deer, David speaks of his craving for God to occupy and reign in the gap only he can fill. He understood that with God in residence and in charge of his soul, every desire he had would align with God’s purpose for his life. He pursued the living God; the supreme and existent one, not those lifeless entities that parade themselves as gods. In his desperation, he asked, “Where can I go to meet the Lord?”
Beloved, God is evident in his creation, in his word, and in the human conscience. Creation alone gives us physical evidence through our consciences that God exists, and he must be followed. The words of David in Psalm 19 verses 1 to 4 confirm the testimony of creation.
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, And night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
Every component of creation speaks of God. We can not feign or deny a lack of knowledge of the true and living of God. We are without excuse if we stay aloof and not follow the Lord. Even our consciences would atest to our guilt. May we learn from the example of David as he pursued God based on his observation of the craving of the deer for water.
SHALOM