July 1

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God. — Ps 42:1 BSB

What a vivid picture David uses in these words. Imagine a wounded stag, with an arrow in its side or being chased by a pack of hunters and hounds, all eager to bring it down. Picture it running for a long time under a burning sun, across sandy terrain. Now, imagine that this poor, wounded animal spots a stream of water in the distance. How it must pant! Its heaving sides gasp for breath, and it longs for the refreshing water—not just to drink deeply and cool its panting sides and exhausted, parched body, but also in the hope of crossing the stream and escaping the hunters and dogs pursuing it. What a powerful image.

Even as strong as this image is, David uses it to express the longing of his soul for God. We may not fully grasp the depth of this comparison; we might not dare to match our own feelings to his, or use the same intense, passionate expressions. But we can at least see what God’s people of old experienced during times of trial and temptation. We can compare our own spiritual feelings to theirs—sometimes this will humble us as we see our shortcomings, other times it will encourage us if we find similar experiences within ourselves. These things were written for our learning, “upon whom the ends of the world have come.”

So, in various ways and for different purposes, we can, with God’s help, reflect on expressions like those of David. With reverence, we search our hearts to see if we can find anything within us that resembles the work of grace the Holy Spirit describes in David’s soul. Don’t be completely discouraged if you can’t find a perfect or close match. Can you find any resemblance at all? If so, take comfort, because the Lord doesn’t despise the day of small beginnings. It is his own work in the heart that he values, as David felt when he said, “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands” (Psalm 138:8). That work, whether in full or in part, will always mirror the work of grace that the Holy Spirit has carried out in the hearts of God’s people throughout the ages.