My Soul Thirsts for God

By Dean Collins

It is often in times of great distress and sorrow that our longing for the Lord comes to full bloom. Think about your own faith journey. When everyone is healthy, the bank account is full, the workload is light, the boss has praised you, and your favorite team has won the championship, is that when you remember panting for the Lord like a deer pants for water when it is thirsty?

Or is it when the test results weren’t what you expected, your child has walked away from their faith, your position was eliminated, there are more bills than your checkbook balance can pay, and you recently lost a dear friend or mentor that you yearned and longed for the presence of the Lord?

In Psalm 42 we find a beautiful example of a way that we can speak or preach to our souls in our moments and seasons of struggle. Our model soul talk from this psalm begins with our declaration to God that we long to be in his presence. The psalmist’s words express this desire so passionately: “My soul thirsts for God…”

In our desperation and pain, we can also model the psalmist who did not hide his thoughts or feelings from the lord: “My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, ‘Where is your God?’ These things I remember, as I pour out my soul…” God can handle the moments where we wonder where he is and that we feel as if he has left us alone in our misery. What we say is honest but does not necessarily speak truth relative to God’s presence. We may feel that God isn’t present even when he is moving mightily all around us by his Holy Spirit.

Once we have been honest with God, we need to remind ourselves of what we know to be true. The psalmist did this in verses five and six:

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you…”

We all use self-talk all the time. Unfortunately, our self-talk is sometimes negative. We think and even say things like, “That was so stupid,” or, “You will never be able to be as good as…” Our self-talk can and does often make our situation worse. But when we apply God’s truth to our self-talk, we bring God’s favor onto our situation. This is why praying scripture is so powerful. When we quote back to God what he has given us in his word, we are in perfect alignment with him.

The last verse of Psalm 42 is not only true but maybe the soul-talk we need to give as we begin each day:

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

Father, today we choose to hope in you! Fill us with your hope as we begin this day in praise to you. Our salvation and our very lives belong to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
Psalm 42:1-11 ESV

Photo by Chris F
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