“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” Psalm 42:1–2 (tniv)
I’ve sung this song in church, but the words have always been hard for me to grasp. What is it like to “pant” for God? To “thirst” for God? What does that really mean?
The Bible tells us crowds followed Jesus even when He tried to get away from them. They wanted to hear Him. It was as if they needed to hear Him. As if they were thirsting for Him.
When I first became a Christian, something inside me suddenly clicked into place. There was relief and a feeling of freedom. And there was also a sense of homecoming, of being where I belonged.
A part of us longs for Christ. That’s why the crowds followed Him. That’s why I felt that sense of belonging. A piece of me resonates with Jesus Christ, because I was created by Him. Being one with Him makes me whole again.
The psalmist understood this longing in us for God. It’s not just a mental or emotional desire for God—it’s a yearning deep in our souls.
But then life happens. We become busy; our lives become cluttered. The yearning loses intensity. We shove Jesus to the side because there’s not enough room for Him to be front and center in our lives.
Let’s recapture that yearning in our hearts for Jesus. Let’s dredge up that desire for more of Christ. Let’s lift our souls and reach for Him, worshiping Him with all that we are.
FAITH STEP: Pray for Jesus to teach you to pant for Him, to thirst for Him. Pray for help to make Jesus your heart’s desire.
Written by Camy Tang
