A few weeks ago, Jo-Anne, one of our faithful and talented elders at Amberlea, blessed the congregation with a message straight from her heart. She was amazing. To support her message she requested that the band play the song “As the deer” taken from Psalm 42.

If you were a church person in the late 80’s, you would know this Psalm because it was put to music and sung all the time, particularly around campfires and youth meetings!

As the band played the song on Sunday, the Psalm came flooding back.

As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.

I remember singing this Psalm when I was in my early twenties and thinking then how I understood the desire for God the Psalmist speaks off. “My soul” he says, “pants for you.” However now, many, many years later with the benefit of experience and life, this verse means so much more.

A deer pants for a few reasons. Perhaps the obvious is thirst. I understand thirsting for God. Thirsting for the peace and comfort that comes with a closeness to God.

But perhaps a more striking reason is that a deer pants when it is being chased by a predator. As soon as a deer escapes and knows it is safe, it will immediately look for water to replenish its depleted inner stores. But, if a deer runs for too long from an enemy and cannot get to water, the panting from lack of water will cause the deer to collapse and die.

The Psalmist, David, wasn’t being poetic when he wrote “as the deer pants for water”. He was an experienced hunter and outdoorsman. He was being very real in his cry to the Lord.

“As the deer pants for water“, meant that David was becoming exhausted, worn out and depleted from being pursued by the enemy and he had reached the point inside of himself that he wanted to lay down and just give up and die. Not to sound overly dramatic but there have been seasons in my life where that has felt true for me, as well. Something I didn’t truly appreciate in my early twenties.

Have you ever felt that way?

David wrote a very deliberate cry to the Lord: As the deer pants for water, Lord!!! So my soul pants after YOU!!! He is saying, Lord, my soul thirsts for You, the Living God!

Not only in the good times, but in his most desperate hours, David turned to the Lord. He longed for the Lord. He sought the Lord. He worshipped the Lord.

As the deer pants for the water, does your soul pant after God?

As we enter the season of Lent, the time of reflection and prayer before Good Friday and Easter, I pray your heart and mind will lean into God, in fact, pant after God. As you do, may you be filled with awe and wonder of all God has done for you!