As a Deer Pants for the Water

The photo above is definitely not my best deer photo. It is, however, my best one of a deer near water, so I wanted to use it with the verse from the Psalms. Just about any time I see a deer though, even if the deer is not near water, I am reminded of the verse above. It might be more accurate for me to say I am reminded of the song entitled “As the Deer,” written by Martin J. Nystrom and inspired by Psalm 42:1. I’ll not post the lyrics for copyright reasons, but you can click here to listen.

It’s a beautiful song and whenever I sing it, or its lyrics run through my mind, I have to ask myself some serious questions. Do I truly thirst after the Lord? Do I long to worship Him? Do I hunger and thirst after His Word? Do I love Him more than anything? Do I long to see Him? If I’m being truthful with myself, the answer to those questions is sometimes “no.” There are times when worldly cares, troubles, or pleasures get more of my attention than they should, but thinking about that song and asking myself those questions help me to refocus on the most important things. Writing this blog also helps me stay focused on God’s Word. My goals in writing are to honor and glorify God for His creation and to share His Word as I’m reminded of it by observing that creation. A big bonus for me, however, is that I find myself studying His Word much more frequently than I did before, and this has led to a craving for it – a thirst for it! So, even if no one ever reads what I write or benefits from it, I am still benefited by writing. I’m quenching my thirst and feeding my hunger.

The increased studying that I’ve been doing has also increased my desire for and joy in worshiping the Lord, both publicly and privately. But there is one of those difficult questions I mentioned earlier that has always been, and still remains, more difficult than the others. Do I long to see Him? I want to have Paul’s attitude expressed in Philippians 1:21-24. “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.” Paul longed to be in Heaven, but he knew it was necessary for him to remain and continue to work.  Too many times, I find myself feeling the opposite – I long for more time in this world, but I know one day it will be necessary for me to die (or Christ to return).  One year, my husband and I took both of our sons to a week long church camp. The oldest had been the year before and loved it. The youngest was not wanting to go, but we wanted him to try it at least once.  While we were having lunch together before dropping the two boys off at camp, our youngest son said, “I wish Jesus would come back before we get to camp!” He didn’t, however, want Jesus to return before he finished eating, because he figured it would be a long trip to Heaven and he might get hungry.  Anyway, he didn’t want to go to camp, but he was ready to go to Heaven! I know that I want to go to Heaven, but I want to feel like I can truthfully say, “Lord, I’m ready now! I long for your return.” I guess I’ll just have to keep working on that!

Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” He also said in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” If we long for, yearn for, hunger and thirst for, or crave the right things, we will be satisfied. We will have eternal life. For Jesus also said, “If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (John 6:51b)

The next time you see a deer, maybe you will consider the things after which you hunger and thirst. Maybe your soul will thirst after God. Although, if you’re an avid deer hunter or you’ve ever had to pay collision repair costs after a deer smacked into your car, you may have different thoughts on your mind!