As the Deer Panteth for the Water so My Soul Longeth After Thee

"As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God." Psalm 42:1 (KJV)

"I opened my mouth wide and panted, For I longed for Your commandments." Psalm 119:31

"With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!" Psalm 119:10 (ESV)

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Mark 12:30 (NIV)

Does your soul long for Him? Is He the most important thing is your life? Speaking from experience, the more time you spend with Him, the more time you will want to spend with Him. Our walk with the Lord is definitely cumulative! The more you stay on the path and follow after Him, the more you want to... It actually becomes too difficult to NOT be with Him. As God's word says in Psalm 19:9-11, "The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward." In this life, we seem to struggle with filling our lives with the wrong things. We want to dull the pain, fill the gap, change our tune, but we don't know how to, so we do things that end up making our situation worse. We want to fill that hole in our lives that only God can fill, but since we don't know Him, we fill it with other things, dangerous things or useless things, things that can't really help us but can definitely hurt us. We need to fill it with Him and only Him. We need to know Him. And you can't do that without spending time with Him in His Word.

So let's be as the deer panting for the water and let our souls long for Him. I guarantee you that the more you seek Him, the more you will find Him! "Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near." Isaiah 55:6 (NASB) Let us be like David who said, "O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water." Psalm 63:1 (NASB)

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV)

"You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart." I know this world can be very distracting. It can also be devastating. This world is full of heartache, heartbreak, and heartsickness. As God's children, we have the assurance of His presence through every difficulty and trial. "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV) Continue to seek Him with all your heart and you will find Him.

Dear Lord, Thank you that You are always there for us, waiting and watching, wanting to spend time with us and teach us who You really are. Help us to desire You, to seek You, to trust You. Help us to be continually walking behind You on the path of life...