As a Deer Longs for Water

As a Deer Longs for Water

“As a deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God.” Psalm 42:1

As a believer we go to church on Sundays and sing songs of praise, listen to some scriptures and join in prayer.  That may be enough for you, but is it enough for God?  Of course we can pray anytime, but does Sunday service keep you going for the rest of the week?  Does one shot of the Holy Spirit on Sunday keep you strong for the things you may have to face during the days to come, especially if you only come once a month or so?

If we had the common sense of an animal, we would long for what will sustain us in all things; “O God, You are my God; early will I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.” (Psalm 63:1)  I want to be thirsty for God and drink from his well that never runs dry. It’s amazing how God uses natural examples like the deer.  When a deer is wounded, it will use all its strength to get to water.  Why? Because if a wound is not fatal and the deer can reach water, it will kill the fever and the deer will heal.  A deer will travel a great distance to reach water because it is life saving for man and beast.

The day I accepted Jesus as my Savior I became so thirsty for the Word of God.  My soul ached with a longing to know more about Him.  I began to read the Bible day and night and I can only compare it to being hungry.  I was like a starving person eating the Word as quickly as I could.  I read the New Testament in a matter of a few days and then the Old Testament which took a little longer and then started over again.  My Bible was a King James which can be a little difficult to understand, but God gave me supernatural understanding.  It was amazing because before that I couldn’t understand most of it.  I attended Sunday School as a child and knew most of the Bible stories but I didn’t know the truth behind the stories.

So I bought a Living Bible and read that all the way through.  This Bible was like reading poetry and I loved it so much because I have been a poet since I was 9 years old and was first published.  Looking back on those poems I wrote as a child, almost all of them were about God and some were quite prophetic.  I think I was always looking and longing for God, but in my teenage years the world had a greater hold on me.  However, the Lord never gave up and though I always knew God and never doubted Jesus was his son, it took several years for me to commit my life to Him.

We should all be thirsting for more of God; for a more personal relationship with Him.  When you quit longing for God, the river quits flowing.  It doesn’t happen all at once, it slowly ebbs away and your longing for more of God also fades away.  Just like the deer who longs for water and goes any distance to find it, this is the same for us.  We must search for that which will sustain us. The day will come when you realize only God can sustain you.

For generations my family have been hunters and know and understand that God has given us wild life for food and the knowledge that hunting certain animals for food is a natural way for man to survive.  It is also a way to keep balance in nature.  This is the way in the animal world; animals kill each other to survive and if this didn’t happen, the animals would take over the world.  What chaos that would be.  This is how the creatures of the seas survive and yet they also provide food for humans. 

God uses these beautiful, gentle creatures like the deer to show us how we must prepare to reach the life-saving water of the Holy Spirit.  Look what is waiting for you, “But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” John 4:14 (NLT) Why should we long so much for a drink of water? In John 7:37-38 Jesus was teaching a crowd of people and offering them another opportunity to receive Salvation.  This is the way he offered it, “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”  This refers to the Holy Spirit who had not yet come.

This is a valid reason to long for Living Water, because we all need the Holy Spirit to survive in this lost and dying world.  Jesus knew when he gave his life for us that we would need a Comforter; a Helper who would remain with us until the end of time.  The Holy Spirit guides us and “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.”  [John 16:8]  He will make men realize their sinfulness and feel guilt for their misdeeds. The Holy Spirit is the Living Water!  Therefore, you can see why it is so important to long for, and thirst for this water of life we so desperately need. 

This powerful verse in the Book of Revelation keeps the door open for those who thirst after the Lord, “And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.”  Amen!