“As the deer panteth for the water so my soul longeth after thee. You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship thee. You alone are my strength my shield to you alone may my spirit yield. You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship thee.” As one of my favorite hymns says, God alone is my heart’s desire and I long to worship only him! When I read the first line of Psalm 42, I was immediately reminded of this hymn. “As the deer longs for the streams of water so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God the living God” (1-2) The writer of this psalm longs for God much like the writer of the hymn longs for God. What he is saying is that he needs God as much as he needs water. God is that important to him! He is struggling with his enemies when he writes this hymn. They taunt him with the God that he loves and he longs for things to be as they used to be before he had sinned and fallen short of the glory of the God he loves so much. “My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be. I walked among the crowds of worshippers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of great celebration!” (4) The psalmist is consumed by regret and guilt over the things he has done. He wishes things could be different. Have you ever felt that way? I know I have! I know I have thought, “If I hadn’t done that then…” “If I had only done this then…” I know I am not alone on that one! He didn’t spend all his time dwelling on what he had done or what he hadn’t done though. He recognized that he was discouraged and then he immediately turned his attention on the lifter of his head! “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again – my savior and my God!” (5) The psalmist turned his focus off of his problems and put it back on God, praising him in the midst of his discouragement! He remembered who was ultimately responsible for his happiness and who loved him far greater than anyone on this earth. “Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you… each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me and through each night I sing his songs praying to God who gives me life” (6,8) I don’t know about you, but I find great encouragement in that! No matter what you are going through, God loves you deeply and greatly. He loves you the same each and every day no matter what you have done and no matter what you haven’t done. Take hold of that truth today and never let it go!
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