The most dangerous place a deer can be is by a river in Africa. Their predators lie and wait for them to come to the water and drink, and then they will pounce, kill, and eat them. But no matter how dangerous where the streams of water are, they know that they have to drink water, or else they will not survive. There is a river in Kenya called the Mara River. It is where they come to drink water. Predators are all over this river. The hungry lions are on the land, and the crocodiles are in the water, ready to eat them, yet the African deer never miss coming to the river to drink.
The Psalmist pictures his love towards the Lord as a deer longing for water. He is thirsty for the presence of God, and he is willing to risk it all to be close to God. Our relationship with God is based on love. God longs for us to spend time with Him because He loves our presence. In the same manner, we should have the same feelings toward Him. God indeed wants us to obey and serve Him, but He wants us to love Him first because our love for Him will lead us to obey and serve Him. We obey and serve because we love Him.
The Psalmist thirsts for the living God and wants to be close and near to God. It is not something that he has to do just because He believes in God, but he thirsts for God because He has experienced God’s love in His life. One of the main reasons we spend time with God in our daily devotion, Bible fellowship, and the church is to be close to Him and feel His presence in our lives. When everything is doing well in our lives, we tend to forget God, but when we go through difficult situations, we run to Him as fast as we can. But God wants us to consistently long for Him.
If you are struggling to love God or maybe you do not know how to love God, the first thing you must do is ask God to teach you to love Him. Then, ask Him to give you a thirst for His presence. As you start to enjoy His presence, wonderful things will happen in your life. You will start experiencing God in a very special way.
Ask yourself these questions for application: (Think through carefully and meditate on the questions while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you) Do I long for God? What should I do when I do not long for God? Why is it important for me to long for God?
Write down all the worries you face today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, You are the giver of life and the source of blessing. Thank you for loving and caring for me. Please teach me to love you and give me the longing for your presence. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.