Thirsting for God By David Setzer W


ater is essential for life. A person can go for a long period of


time without food, but for a rela- tively short period without wa- ter, as living beings are, we are mostly water. When scientists consider the possibility of life on other planets, they often see wa- ter as the necessary compound. Water is necessary for life – as we know it. That is why the image of the deer panting for water is so strong. You do not have to teach a deer to long for water, just like you do not have to teach a per- son to thirst. To thirst for water is basic and biological. Thirsting is chemical. It is built into who we are on a molecular level. I say all this to make a point about the first line of this psalm. It says as


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a deer pants for water, so my soul thirsts for God. Many people read that, and they think, “OK, it says I should thirst for God.” That misses the point. It is not saying you should thirst for God, and it is saying you do thirst for God. You are spiritually thirsty because God is as essential to your makeup as a spiritual per- son as water is to your makeup as a physical person. In the Bible, a person is the dust of the earth made alive by the breath or spirit of God. God is the essential ele- ment of the chemical makeup of your soul. You thirst for God! That is the


fact. We as human beings all ex- perience that thirst to know God and to have God living in us. God made us that way. It has been said


that each of us has a God-shaped hole in our hearts, and only God can fill that hole and make us whole and complete. The deer does not pant for water because someone said, “Oh, you should be thirsty.” The deer pants for water because it is thirsty. You are thirsty for God! The


problem is that sometimes we find other things that seem like what we are thirsty for, and they do not do the job. Have you ever been dehydrated but instead of drinking water, you drank a soft drink? It was liquid, but it did not provide what you really need- ed as well as plain water would have. That is why doctors tell you when you are dehydrated to stay away from soft drinks and drink either water or drinks designed


The Associate Reformed Presbyterian


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