Reflections on the Psalms (Psalm 42)

One of the more popular or memorable lines in the psalm is:

"As the deer pants for streams of water,
    so my soul pants for you, my God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God."

Many of us have heard these words both spoken and sung.  But do we stop to reflect on the metaphor?  Living things need water to live, plain and simple.  In fact somewhere around 60% of your body is water!  We can not go without water for to long or we will die.  As we go without water we become more and more thirsty for it and will go to greater lengths to get it.

Is your relationship that way with God?  Do you live as though you need God in order to live?  What about the times when you go without speaking to God or spending time with Him?  Do you yearn for God more or do you fall farther away.

We need to be reminded that God is the creator and sustainer of all life that exists.  Without God we are nothing.  God yearns for a authentic relationship with us and wants us to yearn for the same with Him.  This is why fasting can be such a powerful spiritual discipline, because it reminds us of our true needs for survival and in turn reminds us of our true need for a Savior.