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. When shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1-2)

As The Deer Pants For The Water

Water is necessary for life. It is possible to survive without water for only a few days, after which the effects of dehydration begin to shut the body down and then death. Seventy-one percent of the earth is covered in water. God created the world to sustain humanity with a sufficient quantity of water. Earth is a unique planet for the survival of the human race because of the presence of the nourishment essential for life. The body has mechanisms protecting the body from harm like thirst. The warning of dehydration is highlighted by the intense thirst created when the body does not have enough water. Studies have shown men need to drink at least 15.5 cups of water daily and women 11.5 cups.

Among the animals, water is an essential ingredient for survival. The sons of Korah used the deer or the antelope to illustrate a heavenly message of depending on the Lord for survival. A deer will seek water after being chased or hunted by predators. In the heat of the day, the watering hole becomes the assemblage of many different types of animals seeking the same relief in the cooking water. The deer will pant or cry for the water, knowing his survival depends on it. Drinking deeply from the water, the deer is refreshed, renewed, and full of life. There is a need for the people of God to hunger and thirst after the righteousness of the Lord because it becomes a matter of survival. Like the deer who pants for the water, so must the child of God earnestly desire for the water of eternal life.

Thirst is a strong desire for the quenching waters of relief. It is a craving, a hunger, a deep desire for water. Seeking the Lord can never be sipping water; it must be a thirst that is never satisfied. The physical body can drink plenty of fluids one day but will require more the next. There must be a constant flow of water to sustain the bodily needs of hydration. Without the constant awareness of quenching thirst, the body would shrivel and die. So it is with the heart when it does not grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Many souls are dying from spiritual dehydration without the nourishment of God’s water. Thirst cannot be filled unless the man comes to the water of life. God will not force the spiritual water upon anyone. He has provided the abundance of spiritual nourishment that will satisfy the soul, but men must come to the fountain to drink. God will not sustain men intravenously. They must long for the manna and come to the fountain to drink freely.

As the deer pants for the water, so must those who seek the Lord come to Him, desiring the only source of spiritual nourishment. The world is a dry land without anything to sustain or hydrate the soul of man. All the enticements of refreshment in the world do not quench the soul. They only make the heart of a man drier and emptier. Jesus came to bring the abundant life, and that life is found in Him, the true water of living life. All men must come to Jesus and receive the fountain of life flowing from His side. Nothing in this world can sustain or replenish the need of men who seek their own wisdom. Jesus is life because He is the fountain of life. As the deer pants for the water, I must thirst for God and long for His word to dwell in me. I’m thirsty – how about you?