As the Deer Pants After Water - Lee Brainard

 In Psalm 42:1 we read, “As the deer pants after streams of water, so my soul pants after you, O God.” What a vivid description of the soul that is thirsty for God. Do we thirst for God like this? Deer — indeed all animals — must have water to survive. Every day they “do what they gotta do” to get water, whether a deer making his trek to the river or a rodent gathering moisture from the plants that he eats. Do we go to the source every day — the Word (the Bible) — to drink of God and the precious things he offers?

Sadly, for most people today, even among those who bear the name Christian, their “distracted” life keeps them from the water of the Word. The time they have available after sleeping, eating, and working (job and chores) is filled with amusements, entertainment, and recreation of every kind. They are distracted by sports, games, television, internet, hobbies, hunting, fishing, hanging out — well, I could probably keep going for several pages. But you get the drift.

What would happen if a deer quit making the effort to make the daily trek to the river for a few weeks? It would dry up and die! The spiritual realm is no different. If we don’t go to the Word of God regularly, our spiritual life will dry up. Purpose today that you will “do what you gotta do” to get water every day from the Word of God.

~Lee Brainard, September 6, 2014