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As The Deer

             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? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” (Psalm 42:1-3)

Maybe I’m missing what people say when they talk about the first verse of this psalm. It sounds as if they think we should be like the deer panting for water in our relationship with God. But deer don’t pant for water when standing knee-deep in a stream. Sometimes, God seems a universe away, tears are our food, and people ask where our God is. Of course, it’s appropriate to pant like a deer for streams of water. But when the stream is there, why stand and refuse to drink?

Part of our problem is that we refuse to drink. At least in America, God’s Word is available, but we get bored with it or can’t find the right verse. We’ve all been there.  Nothing is hitting the spot. I spend days like this, determined to write at least a few paragraphs for this blog, and reach dinner time with nothing. When that happens, however, my soul isn’t panting for God. It’s panting for something that will inspire words to flow from my fingers so I don’t disappoint myself or anyone else.

That brings to mind something I’m sure I’ve shared too many times. When I was jogging and walking for an hour daily, I discovered that it took me at least thirty minutes to reach a point where I was ready to listen to God. During that time, I might lecture people who weren’t there, grouse at God, and whine about everything. After that half hour, something slowly shifted, but I was still about thirty minutes from home, and that was all I needed to do for the day. Now that my weight, knees, and ankle won’t let me do sixty minutes of walking, I’m home and have all I need to do for the day right there. There’s no time for my soul to pant for God because my mind and body are too busy. Sometimes, it still works. God brings something to mind. Other times, I suspect He may say, “Come away and talk to Me,” but I’m too busy. I have to write this blog so I can do all the other things. When can I go and meet with God? Well, I have the next ten minutes.  But sometimes, God doesn’t work according to our timetables.

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