I have vivid childhood memories of hot California summers riding in the back of my mother's Ford Pinto station wagon--the one with no air conditioning--and wishing more than anything to have something to drink.
To a young child, the few minutes drive in the heat seemed like an eternity. My thoughts were consumed with Kool-Aid, Coke, juice--anything to quench the thirst.
In Psalm 42 the psalmist describes a similar scene--no, not a young boy in the back of a Pinto--but a deer desperate to find a stream of cool, refreshing water. Likewise, the psalmist says, his soul desperately thirsts for God. His thoughts were consumed with meeting with God.
Just like the thought of a cold Coca Cola to a young Pinto-bound boy, or a cool stream to a weary deer, God was all this writer could think about.
What happens when we have that kind of fixation on the Lord? What happens when we reach the level where everything within us longs to be in the presence of God through His word, worship and prayer?
When that happens, it gives us an unusual ability to thrive in life.
Our tears of sorrow turn to joy (vv3-4).
When our innermost being is downcast, it gives us hope (vv 5,11).
When people tease us, look down on us, or even persecute us for our faith, it gives us strength (vv9-10). "Why so downcast?" the psalmists asks, "put your hope in God."
How thirsty are you for God today? How consumed are you with spending time in His presence? Maybe if we would be a little more consumed with God we would be a little less consumed by the pressures of life.
When is your next meeting with God?
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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.
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