Psalm 42:1–2: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, / So pants my soul for You, O God. / My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. / When shall I come and appear before God?”

Imagine a deer on the run, as it’s being chased or hunted by its enemies. It’s on its last leg, mouth dry and parched, panting hard, longing desperately for refreshing water. This was the kind of thirst David was talking about. Perhaps he felt like a hunted man, as though he was on his last leg. Whether his state was real or imagined, he was clear about what he needed: “My soul thirsts for God.” He was desperate for the water of God’s presence, touch, and Word. Like David, we need to come to the water of the Word of God to be refreshed and cleansed. Just as the physical body thrists for water, so do our souls, but it is a thirst that can only be quenched in God. Jesus said to the woman at the well, “whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst . . . [it] will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).

Many years ago Lawrence of Arabia visited London and brought with him some of his desert-dwelling friends. These men were impressed by the bustling city and its modern conveniences. But they were most impressed by the water faucets. All one had to do to obtain fresh water was turn a handle! The visitors asked Lawrence if it would be possible to take some of the water faucets back to the desert. They had absolutely no understanding of plumbing. This is what takes place in people who are spiritually dead as they attempt to find joy and fulfillment in material pursuits, pleasure-filled living, or worldly success. They are trying to get joy from a tap that isn’t attached to anything, which is just as impossible as getting water from a faucet that isn’t connected to a water source. David understood 3000 years ago that true joy and fulfillment are only possible after surrendering one’s life to the source of living water, Jesus Christ.

“LORD, we thirst for more of You. Please fill us again as we come to drink from Your Word today.”