A Longing Soul

"As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God."
– Psalm 42:1-2

Out of the five books that make up psalms, book two begins with chapter forty-two. There are several writers in book two, including Asaph, David, Solomon, and three, that are anonymous. Seven of these psalms include the heading “of the Sons of Korah,” including this one. More than likely, this is not the author but rather psalms delivered to the Sons of Korah to be performed by them. Regardless of the instrument God chose to use, He spoke through His Word.

This psalm is titled a maschil, the Hebrew word for contemplation. It is a song of instruction, and we should always be open to learning to gain wisdom in the Lord (Proverbs 9:9). We as Christians need to remember that we have the opportunity to glean from one another. There should never be a time in our lives when we think we know it all and have arrived (1 Corinthians 8:2; 13:9-12). And as long as we have a desire to hear from the Lord, we will be able to receive the Lord’s messages through any of His servants.

We find the psalmist on spiritual highs and lows. One moment he is overwhelmed with encouragement, and the next, he seems to fall to spiritual depths. It is not unlike our lives today. With the many things we are experiencing, it appears that problems come in wave after wave. The writer associated nature, God’s creation, with how he was feeling. Just as an innocent deer yearned for water in a dry land, his soul longed for the refreshing comfort of the Living God. This is a longing that we should all have, yet if that desire is faint or has gone, we should examine our relationship with the Lord. Does your soul still long for Christ, or do you think you have arrived?