Even in the midst of a pandemic, many of us are still very busy. Many are juggling work, family responsibilities, helping children with school, and other tasks. We are constantly being bombarded with news media, social media, and other sources of information. In this state of information overload and overwhelming responsibilities, it is easy to lose sight of what we should be focused on – the Lord Jesus. All of the noise around us often tries to drown out the voice of the one who should be guiding us.
I’ve written before about the “Persistent Pursuit”. I define it as “the consistent and passionate pursuit of His Presence.” It is not a pursuing of the Lord’s blessings and benefits, but rather the desperate chasing of His very Person. It is not a one-time experience or even a periodic activity. It is a lifestyle of those who hunger and thirst for God. In Psalms 42, David declared:
As the deer pants for water, so I long for you, O God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. Where can I find him to come and stand before him? 3 Day and night I weep for his help, and all the while my enemies taunt me. “Where is this God of yours?” they scoff.
4-5 Take courage, my soul! Do you remember those times (but how could you ever forget them!) when you led a great procession to the Temple on festival days, singing with joy, praising the Lord? Why then be downcast? Why be discouraged and sad? Hope in God! I shall yet praise him again. Yes, I shall again praise him for his help.
6 Yet I am standing here depressed and gloomy, but I will meditate upon your kindness to this lovely land where the Jordan River flows and where Mount Hermon and Mount Mizar stand. 7 All your waves and billows have gone over me, and floods of sorrow pour upon me like a thundering cataract.
8 Yet day by day the Lord also pours out his steadfast love upon me, and through the night I sing his songs and pray to God who gives me life. (TLB)
David likened desiring God to an essential thirst – “as the deer pants”. Like a deer drinking water from a stream or brook, it is not that the water was hiding or avoiding the deer. Rather the water was there waiting to be consumed. We pursue God not because He is hiding from us or avoiding us, but rather because He is waiting for us to recognize our essential need of Him.
Note that David uses this analogy in the midst of suffering and trial. He speaks of weeping day and night (verse 3) and standing depressed and gloomy (verse 6). During his struggle, David is reminded of his need for God. It is said that animals pant as a way to cool down their bodies. As we pant for God, it often allows us to cool down the heat of the moment in which we are living. Furthermore, not only does water satisfy the thirst of the deer it also provides a way of escape – as the deer seeks a stream or source of water , it erases their scent trail and helps them escape predators. As we practice being in God’s presence by spending time in prayer, worship, and study of His Word, He releases strategies and insights so that we are able to escape the devices and snares of the enemy.
Whatever challenges you may be facing, now is a good time to begin to pant and thirst for God at an even greater level. As you spend time in His Presence, allow Him to bring refreshing and relief as well as revelation.
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