Thirsty For God
Just like a deer that craves streams of water, my whole being craves you, God. Psalm 42:1 (Common English Bible, CEB)
Other than air, water is the most important thing for sustaining our lives. We can go for days and even weeks without food, but we can only go a few days without water before our body systems are affected. If we were to crave and desire God like a deer seeks water for its survival, God would be on our hearts and minds continually.
Far too many people today are idol worshippers- even Christians. I know that statement may surprise some people, but it is true. Of course, I don’t mean that people are literally bowing down to statues of stone or wood, but their hearts are captivated by things other than the Lord. They might be focused on money and what it can buy, or on having prestige and social standing. Their lives may be centered around entertainment or whatever feels good to their flesh. They may be idolizing a person- perhaps a celebrity, a church leader, or even one of their own family members. Their lives might be consumed by the furtherance of a certain agenda or political belief. Some people may even idolize their role and work in the church.
The bottom line is that anything that becomes more important and takes up more of our attention than our relationship with the Lord becomes an idol. Even good things, like our children or spouse, become idols if we put them before God.
When the deer is seeking a life-giving drink of water, little else has any importance. Its senses, all its being, are actively involved in the search for water. Is God our utmost thought and the focus of our lives? Are we actively seeking Him spirit, soul and body? Now, I’m not advocating shutting ourselves off from humanity away from all pleasure on the top of a mountain somewhere like hermits. We can center our lives on God while enjoying life and having strong human relationships. We can Love God and yet set professional goals and work hard to achieve them. The big thing is to always remember Who has first place and Whose we are. if we let those other things take over and get out of balance, they become idols and our focus is drawn away from the Lord.
It is a good idea to frequently do a heart check to make sure our priorities are right. When we keep the Lord first place and seek Him hard like the deer looking for water, everything else will fall into place.
I long to drink of you, O God, drinking deeply from the streams of pleasure flowing from your presence. My longings overwhelm me for more of you! Psalm 42:1 (The Passion Translation, TPT)
