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The Panting Heart
Psalm 42:1 ”.As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.”
- Why do we grieve His Holy Spiritual?
- Why do we turn aside from God, and our exceeding joy?
Can someone tell me why is it that we are so poor in spiritual gifts, when we could well have been so rich, thus keeping us panting after more of His and graces? Whilst at the same time there very much which is commendable in the desire expressed in the insatiable desire which was burned into the Psalmist’ heart is a Heavenly flame en-kindled from on high.
What we see here is David NOT saying: ‘My soul only pants after my royalties and the splendour of the Kingdom of Judah’. Instead what we find is, if he lets go of all the trappings, rather he is content to let it all go for ever, if he may find his Go. David was for sure a prince among patriots, we find him not sighing after Jerusalem, neither do find him sighing after the wellness of Bethlehem, neither for the roses of Sharon, or, the lilies of the valley, command his limitations … BUT … his one sigh or cry, is for his one true God, the God of his life, with exceeding joy. His God, his God, he cannot live without his God. He cries out for him a lost son for his Father, just as a bleating lamb he will not be content till he finds his parent.
Psalm 42:11 "For I shall yet praise Him"
David pines here for permission, to once again to enjoy god’s graces, that he has been longing to go upto the Tabernacle once again. As he desired to see the Priests offering the sacrifices, but for him it was to up to the alter of God. David sees that he must have a spiritual life, with substance, what he does not pine for is the sacrifices, such as NOT … The Priests … The Alter … or the Tabernacle … instead he cries unto God … “For I shall yet please Him”. (V11) Today we feel we must use our .. Mobiles .. Xbox’s .. PlayStation's.
For you see God is only pleased when you press on through all the distractions, by ignoring them. Thus pushing on and coming to Worship & fellowship with Him. Speaking to Him as a close friend, then possessing a secret life, speaking with anointed power, which has already been bestowed upon us, now being able to speak to the invisible and everlasting God.
Because I want you to get this so I’m repeating this as so should we be so…
Once again all David wants is to enjoy God’s graces. Some will know this and sadly some not, but God lives within you. It is not meat or drink, or even your outward show worship, when in fact the outward show is ‘NOTHING’, instead it is the inward that is ‘EVERYTHING’.
David longed .. yearned .. panted .. till the moment he appeared before his God. He heartily also wanted to join up and unit with fellow Christians in devotion to the one true living God in devotion. David thought nothing of worshipping his God alone. It was easy because he did not have to go out. But he did not get the same feeling being because .. Mat 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them”… Surly gathering with our brethren of our faith is always going to be far better for us. Never let your coming together with your brothers & Sisters content you.
1)Why do we grieve His Holy Spiritual?
Let you soul be panting, just like the stag pants for the water brook, for God .. for God .. and no body else. We find that Davids soul was in such a state of rapture, which is why he threw his whole heart & soul into his worship of God.
Psalm 42:1 “As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God”
When the Lords everlasting .. unbounded .. unchangeable love is in no more question than our own existence, when we can say ‘My Father’ with an unfaltering tongue, this is the cream of life, and as the heart pants for the water brook, so we ought to pant after Him. That we may always be known by the infallible witness of the Holy spirit, that assuredly we are in the love of God, and our names are written in the book of life. Ourselves are with Father God in our final days, forever and ever and all eternity.
Now I know that there are those among you, looking upon others within your Churches that always seem to have a water brook that is plentiful. What I’m saying, is don’t give up finding your own ‘water brook’, so keep pushing on.
The Love of God can often over powers the believer with it’s delight, he faints with glory, consumed by this love that is pure. When we actually fellowship with our Father God, as well as with His Son Christ Jesus, our joy will be crowned with a coronal of lovingkindness. There is a flood tide of the river of life in our spirit, every thought is active; every power is inspired; every passion is elevated; the whole man is filled with all of God’s tender mercies.
By now we should, be abiding in our fellowship with God in our daily life. The enjoyment we have in God’s love ought not to be a thing of yesterday, not even just for today, but for all the length of time. May be this day I am speaking to you, who were at one time were very active Christians, making great strives in this (our) divine life, but alas, at the present moment you feel yourself to be very dull and heavily depressed, and are uneasy that it should be so. I surprisingly thank God for that uneasiness. For we all need these waves until they drive us back to our moorings, and drift and drift us back to a place where we had so much joy & peace.
Tell me if this is how you feel or have felt, even now, months even years on. It’s great that we have accepted Christ Jesus into our lives …
Having just become a Christian, all the services are magical, so much so you don’t want them to finish. But now we count down the days to the following weekend, and meet up with our new Christian friends. Now that the years start rolling on by, the new energy and excitement, has waned. We no longer have that hunger to do all the things for our Lord. What has happened to those days that if we were out for a walk, we would talk to Him, if during the night we wake, we would steady our soul with a short prayer?
It’ a shame that ‘time waits for no one’, we have become stale, which leads to becoming ‘back-sliders’ to our old lives. Some go a whole week without a single prayer being uttered. They would on a Sunday bow their heads during prayer time, but shamefully would not be in prayer themselves. This sadly becomes like a cancer untreated. Now, due to these feelings we can very quickly start to feel .. without that zest for life .. feeling tired without energy .. always are melancholic .. never able to find peace, all leading to a life without God’s Holy anointing that was once had.
Psalm 42:1 “As the deer pants for the water brooks”
Today there is so much sadness in the Church, as God no longer seem to dwell there within. As a new Christian’s God stood us upon solid rocks. God’s spirit was shinning from within us, everyone could clearly see the new transformed us. We showed our gratitude by being on fire for Him, and eagerly doing His bidding.
Now some years down the line, after all we did, we did it with all our might, heart & soul, into every labour. So much so we felt His presence in all things, at all times. The fire within us is now just a heap of glowing ambers, as ..
God truly never leaves us nor fore sakes us. There are many people today who grab their coat and walk away from their lives, telling no-one, what they are doing? .. or .. where they are going? .. the fancy description for these are ‘back-sliders’, I prefer to call them lost; disillusioned; down trodden rejected. I know of this Christian who wanted to be part of a church so bad, with many skills that could be used, was told to go work some where else. To stay in an environment where it has become apparent in the way, which is a sad testament to the church. When you see someone like this who is slugging along come along side and help them stay and encourage them, or inter-seed for those who have drifted far from God. Don’t be the one stood at the church door, dusting down your hands and say, 'good riddance.'
2) Characteristics of Desire
Truly what does the heart pant for? When you are able to see a stag, then and only then will see it’s smoking flanks of it’s body after running hard, the up lifted head in a regal manner, it’s beating heart pounding hard within, the ever rolling eye – searching for any sudden movements, the way in which the stags tongue has been thrust out panting after the water brook.
Psalm 42:1 “As the deer pants for the water brooks”
In a blink of an eye we’re pre-teens with out a care in the World, dreaming about what we are going to be ‘when we grow up’. We wake up in what seems a nights sleep, then were in our 50s never having achieved what we desired for our lives, the time has gone, and we know not where?
My fellow Christians, dare I ask “ is your desire as distinct and clear to see as Davids in Psalm 42:1&2?" If not then you need to write out in plain and simple words you hearts desire, let it dwell up from deep, as a damn that bursts it’s banks, from the deepest recesses of your soul, then slowly at first, building up speed each time you say to yourself … ‘I want my God, I don’t want all what others desire and languish after. I don’t desire someone else’s ambition, but only for the one true God’ .. instead lets live to serve Him, our Lord Christ Jesus.
The Christian comes to feel that while it may not be luxury to walk with God. Instead it can be a costly luxury to live with, but is an absolute necessity to have it’s spirit with us always. Try then if you will, because life up till now life has gone swimmingly, but now we are faced with horrific danger, but we have dispensed with God because we felt no need for Him in our your life, in doing this we have just opened ourselves up to all bad dangerous sins from our old ways. Just think of all the pain & anguish Jesus went through for us to have life more abundantly ..
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.”
3) The Exciting causes of this Desire
Psalm 42:1 "As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God."
For you who are ‘back-slidden’, it will be never to late to turn back, and run into the everlasting Father Gods arms. David expressed his desire to God in prayers, so I put this to you who have drifted away from God …
We must long after God daily, because we will need to remember all the good times, also all the tender mercies that flowed every second of the day. Surely you never had such wondrous seasons as when living in close fellowship with God. How you can say you were as blessed as when you had the Holy Spirit, like a sacred Dove brooding over you, making life more joyful around you. It is crystal clear that these are the best days of our lives. Then what happens, is that you must collect up all these good days, then reconnect with God, to once again to have your thirst quenched.
(NLT) Psalm 42:1&2 "As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God."
Psalm 42:11 "For I shall yet praise Him"
David pines here for permission, to once again to enjoy god’s graces, that he has been longing to go upto the Tabernacle once again. As he desired to see the Priests offering the sacrifices, but for him it was to up to the alter of God. David sees that he must have a spiritual life, with substance, what he does not pine for is the sacrifices, such as NOT … The Priests … The Alter … or the Tabernacle … instead he cries unto God … “For I shall yet please Him”. (V11) Today we feel we must use our .. Mobiles .. Xbox’s .. PlayStation's.
For you see God is only pleased when you press on through all the distractions, by ignoring them. Thus pushing on and coming to Worship & fellowship with Him. Speaking to Him as a close friend, then possessing a secret life, speaking with anointed power, which has already been bestowed upon us, now being able to speak to the invisible and everlasting God.
Because I want you to get this so I’m repeating this as so should we be so…
His God, his God, he cannot live
without his God. He cries out for him a lost son
for his Father, just as a bleating lamb he will not
be content till he finds his parent.
Once again all David wants is to enjoy God’s graces. Some will know this and sadly some not, but God lives within you. It is not meat or drink, or even your outward show worship, when in fact the outward show is ‘NOTHING’, instead it is the inward that is ‘EVERYTHING’.
David longed .. yearned .. panted .. till the moment he appeared before his God. He heartily also wanted to join up and unit with fellow Christians in devotion to the one true living God in devotion. David thought nothing of worshipping his God alone. It was easy because he did not have to go out. But he did not get the same feeling being because .. Mat 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them”… Surly gathering with our brethren of our faith is always going to be far better for us. Never let your coming together with your brothers & Sisters content you.
1)Why do we grieve His Holy Spiritual?
Let you soul be panting, just like the stag pants for the water brook, for God .. for God .. and no body else. We find that Davids soul was in such a state of rapture, which is why he threw his whole heart & soul into his worship of God.
Psalm 42:1 “As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God”
When the Lords everlasting .. unbounded .. unchangeable love is in no more question than our own existence, when we can say ‘My Father’ with an unfaltering tongue, this is the cream of life, and as the heart pants for the water brook, so we ought to pant after Him. That we may always be known by the infallible witness of the Holy spirit, that assuredly we are in the love of God, and our names are written in the book of life. Ourselves are with Father God in our final days, forever and ever and all eternity.
Now I know that there are those among you, looking upon others within your Churches that always seem to have a water brook that is plentiful. What I’m saying, is don’t give up finding your own ‘water brook’, so keep pushing on.
The Love of God can often over powers the believer with it’s delight, he faints with glory, consumed by this love that is pure. When we actually fellowship with our Father God, as well as with His Son Christ Jesus, our joy will be crowned with a coronal of lovingkindness. There is a flood tide of the river of life in our spirit, every thought is active; every power is inspired; every passion is elevated; the whole man is filled with all of God’s tender mercies.
By now we should, be abiding in our fellowship with God in our daily life. The enjoyment we have in God’s love ought not to be a thing of yesterday, not even just for today, but for all the length of time. May be this day I am speaking to you, who were at one time were very active Christians, making great strives in this (our) divine life, but alas, at the present moment you feel yourself to be very dull and heavily depressed, and are uneasy that it should be so. I surprisingly thank God for that uneasiness. For we all need these waves until they drive us back to our moorings, and drift and drift us back to a place where we had so much joy & peace.
Tell me if this is how you feel or have felt, even now, months even years on. It’s great that we have accepted Christ Jesus into our lives …
- How do we know, how to think of Jesus?
- How do we speak of him to others you know?
- How do we speak to Him during the week?
Having just become a Christian, all the services are magical, so much so you don’t want them to finish. But now we count down the days to the following weekend, and meet up with our new Christian friends. Now that the years start rolling on by, the new energy and excitement, has waned. We no longer have that hunger to do all the things for our Lord. What has happened to those days that if we were out for a walk, we would talk to Him, if during the night we wake, we would steady our soul with a short prayer?
It’ a shame that ‘time waits for no one’, we have become stale, which leads to becoming ‘back-sliders’ to our old lives. Some go a whole week without a single prayer being uttered. They would on a Sunday bow their heads during prayer time, but shamefully would not be in prayer themselves. This sadly becomes like a cancer untreated. Now, due to these feelings we can very quickly start to feel .. without that zest for life .. feeling tired without energy .. always are melancholic .. never able to find peace, all leading to a life without God’s Holy anointing that was once had.
Psalm 42:1 “As the deer pants for the water brooks”
Today there is so much sadness in the Church, as God no longer seem to dwell there within. As a new Christian’s God stood us upon solid rocks. God’s spirit was shinning from within us, everyone could clearly see the new transformed us. We showed our gratitude by being on fire for Him, and eagerly doing His bidding.
Now some years down the line, after all we did, we did it with all our might, heart & soul, into every labour. So much so we felt His presence in all things, at all times. The fire within us is now just a heap of glowing ambers, as ..
- We now don’t go to Church..
- We now go days without praying,
- with no remorse.
God truly never leaves us nor fore sakes us. There are many people today who grab their coat and walk away from their lives, telling no-one, what they are doing? .. or .. where they are going? .. the fancy description for these are ‘back-sliders’, I prefer to call them lost; disillusioned; down trodden rejected. I know of this Christian who wanted to be part of a church so bad, with many skills that could be used, was told to go work some where else. To stay in an environment where it has become apparent in the way, which is a sad testament to the church. When you see someone like this who is slugging along come along side and help them stay and encourage them, or inter-seed for those who have drifted far from God. Don’t be the one stood at the church door, dusting down your hands and say, 'good riddance.'
2) Characteristics of Desire
Truly what does the heart pant for? When you are able to see a stag, then and only then will see it’s smoking flanks of it’s body after running hard, the up lifted head in a regal manner, it’s beating heart pounding hard within, the ever rolling eye – searching for any sudden movements, the way in which the stags tongue has been thrust out panting after the water brook.
Psalm 42:1 “As the deer pants for the water brooks”
In a blink of an eye we’re pre-teens with out a care in the World, dreaming about what we are going to be ‘when we grow up’. We wake up in what seems a nights sleep, then were in our 50s never having achieved what we desired for our lives, the time has gone, and we know not where?
My fellow Christians, dare I ask “ is your desire as distinct and clear to see as Davids in Psalm 42:1&2?" If not then you need to write out in plain and simple words you hearts desire, let it dwell up from deep, as a damn that bursts it’s banks, from the deepest recesses of your soul, then slowly at first, building up speed each time you say to yourself … ‘I want my God, I don’t want all what others desire and languish after. I don’t desire someone else’s ambition, but only for the one true God’ .. instead lets live to serve Him, our Lord Christ Jesus.
The Christian comes to feel that while it may not be luxury to walk with God. Instead it can be a costly luxury to live with, but is an absolute necessity to have it’s spirit with us always. Try then if you will, because life up till now life has gone swimmingly, but now we are faced with horrific danger, but we have dispensed with God because we felt no need for Him in our your life, in doing this we have just opened ourselves up to all bad dangerous sins from our old ways. Just think of all the pain & anguish Jesus went through for us to have life more abundantly ..
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.”
3) The Exciting causes of this Desire
Psalm 42:1 "As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God."
For you who are ‘back-slidden’, it will be never to late to turn back, and run into the everlasting Father Gods arms. David expressed his desire to God in prayers, so I put this to you who have drifted away from God …
If you had a sacred life which could be maintained
by it’s own energies within, you might do
with out your God, I’ll tell you that your now
naked, you are poor, you're miserable, all because
you are apart from Him. Now you need to come
back to Him and drink day-to -day of His living
springs, or you will loose your way and become
bitter with your lot.
…. we don’t have the ability to store up His grace within us, for our own good, upon which we may carry with us. Just like carrying a pint of mlik around with you for a day, by the days end it will not be of any use, thats why we like to have fresh milk each day. But, instead we need God’s fresh fountain of grace, day after day after day. Because in Him we have new life. Just like a deer that finds a fresh spring, and comes back day after day, and it is always replenished day by day, never drying up always fresh. We must long after God daily, because we will need to remember all the good times, also all the tender mercies that flowed every second of the day. Surely you never had such wondrous seasons as when living in close fellowship with God. How you can say you were as blessed as when you had the Holy Spirit, like a sacred Dove brooding over you, making life more joyful around you. It is crystal clear that these are the best days of our lives. Then what happens, is that you must collect up all these good days, then reconnect with God, to once again to have your thirst quenched.
(NLT) Psalm 42:1&2 "As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God."
We should all fly firstly to God, with all your distresses, as only God can alleviate, as there are none He cannot. Our God is the cordial of our cure, the soothing balm to our woes. Finding God, is likened to a Mariner who has made it through the storm to make it home. In times of hardship remember He is yours and mine all in all.
‘We need to give ourselves a right good shake, or lest we sadly sleep our way through life’
When we turn all feelings and desires off, we become empty for life, with slumbering over coming us. We ought to be alarmed or we should turn out to become like others who are slumbering their way straight to hell.
4) A Few Comfortable Encouragements
I have to say that since giving my heart to God back in 05/98, I’ve had the pleasure of walking with God day after day, even in those dark days. I have known what the sweetness of the wine of Heaven is, and has left a continual thirst for more.
It is a shame for those who have never eaten of the Manna of Heaven for when they do, they will be satisfied, unlike with the gritty brown bread of Earth, but Heavenly Manna is a hunger making thing, for once you get the flavour in your mouth, you will never be content, unless you have it always. Those whom would feel the loss of the greatest, are those who once had Manner in abundance, but now due to bad habits have brought on poverty.
Psalm 42:1&2 “As My soul thirsts for God, for the living God”
Yet there one or two comforts that come from a period of longing and panting for our Lord ..
Firstly: If you have a deep longing for God, where does it come from? .. Does it come from the sesspool that is call ‘human-nature’? .. Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.” .. The Heavenly Spirit has given us that hunger/desire, so we should be forever thankful to Him. What He will never do is to .. NOT .. to give up on us, never forget this, despite what life has to throw at you.
Secondly: I seem to have more questions than answers at the moment ...
- ‘If God has given me this desire will He not full fill it’?
If we are truly evil, and are so unkind, then much less should our God say ‘I’ll not make him hungry and then refuse to feed him … for sure not our God, if you have made me to thirst and pant, I can rest assured that He will give me water brooks to drink and be refreshed from, and I shall be refreshed.
It does not take the Lord long to make Summer time, from the cold and prickly Winter time. Though it only takes one second in His presence for Gods love to chase away all the darkness in our lives, and bring forth the bright Summers day. Our Lord God will bring forth the wondrous fresh water brooks ..
- You who were bound with chains shall be emancipated,
- You who were clothed with sack cloth shall ware fine linen of wondrous apparel,
- You shall anoint you faces with fresh oil,
- You shall go and dance with those saved and dance and dance making merry with the Lord God,
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."
We thank you for your living word, may you words
quench away our thirst for Earthly things, wanting only you water brooks, in Christ Jesus name,
Amen.
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