| The Christian Life | June 1945 |
Thirsting After God
“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?”—Psalm 42:1,2
DAVID’S thirsting after God was characteristic of the heartfelt desire of all God’s people in proportion to the realization of their need of divine grace. The very life of a hart depends upon the refreshing waters of the brook. Likewise our lives as Christians depend upon the springs of divine grace and mercy which flow from God to us when we put ourselves in a position to receive the blessings with which He stands ready to supply us so abundantly. The hart panteth after the water brooks because water quenches thirst and sustains life; so those who have learned to know God “pant” after Him because they know they cannot live without the life-sustaining provisions of His love.
To “thirst” after God means much more than merely to desire Him. One might desire something which is not a vital necessity to life. A Christian does indeed desire God; yea, he longs to know Him better, and to depend upon Him more fully. But the thought of thirsting after God as the hart thirsteth for water brooks, goes beyond desire. It denotes the recognition of necessity. If thirst is not assuaged, death is the result. Thus, for a Christian to thirst after God means that he is willing to set aside all other considerations in order that his thirst might be quenched.
The marginal translation of Psalm 42:1 gives the word “brayeth” instead of panteth—“as the hart brayeth after the water brooks.” This suggests the thought of crying out after water, so our panting after God is in reality a crying out for Him, realizing that if we do not find His presence and continue to draw refreshment from the life-giving streams of His grace, we will perish.
Soul-Thirsting
David wrote that his “soul” panted and thirsted after God. This means that his whole being was devoted to his effort to find the living God, and to be a partaker of His blessings. This is essentially the same thought expressed by Moses, and quoted by Jesus, when He said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” (Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:37) To love God with all our souls is the attitude of full consecration expressed by the poet:
“Take my life and may it be,
Lord, acceptable to Thee.”
If we have a genuine soul-thirsting after God, if the one determination of our lives is to find Him and be in harmony with Him, we will allow no earthborn cloud of any kind to separate us from our God. Our hands will move at the impulse of His love; our feet will be swift on errands for Him. We will endeavor always to use our voices to honor our God, and our lips will be moved with messages for Him and concerning Him.
If our thirsting after God is like that of David, we will withhold nothing in our efforts to please Him. We will want our moments and our days all to be devoted constantly to His praise. We will want every power of our intellect to be used in harmony with His will. Our desire shall be that His will should take the place of our own, and that God be enthroned in our hearts. As our souls pant after God, we will pour out our love to Him, renouncing self-interest, and wishing to be ever and always fully devoted to Him who is the fountain source of all that we hold dear.
And how blessed it is to realize, even as David learned, that we can always depend upon the Lord to be unto us our all and all. The Psalmist declares, “I love the Lord, because He hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because He hath inclined His ear unto me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live.” (Psa. 116:1,2) This testimony of the prophet is based upon experience. He had learned that God was willing and able to help him in his greatest times of need. Jesus expresses a similar thought in the Beatitude, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matt. 5:6) To thirst after righteousness: is to thirst after God, and how blessed it is to realize that our thirsting is not vain.
How God Helps Us
We know that it is impossible for our finite minds to understand the limitless capabilities of our God. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways, and His thoughts than our thoughts. (Isa. 55:9) We know that God is more than a principle, that He is a Being, the Supreme Being, the Creator—through the Logos—of all animate and inanimate things. But it is impossible for us to visualize His personal appearance or to understand the manner in which He carries on His activities.
God, in His wisdom and great love assures us of His tender care by using language which we can understand. In response to our “braying” after His love and care, He gives assurance of His interest by telling us that His “eyes” are ever watching over us; that His “ears” are always open to our cries; that His “arms” and “hands” protect us; and that His “wings” overshadow us. This does not mean that God has human eyes and ears and hands, nor that. He possesses wings, as a bird. But the use of these expressions conveys to us a clearer conception of His care than would otherwise be possible for us to grasp.
We know the function of the human eye. In David’s life as a shepherd he knew the importance of keeping his eyes open, and constantly scanning the grazing grounds of his sheep in order that he might see approaching perils that would endanger the lives of his flock. For a shepherd to fall asleep when he should be on watch would indicate a lack of interest in his sheep. How meaningful, therefore, is God’s assurance that He never slumbers, that His eyes are constantly on the alert, watching out for our best interests as new creatures in Christ Jesus.. Ah yes, the Psalmist declares, “He that keepeth thee will not slumber.” (Psa. 121:3) Again, David says of the divine Shepherd, “Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with Me.”—Psalm 101:6
Divine Guidance
Psalm 32:8 reads: “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye.” God, in His farseeing wisdom, is able to know all the circumstances of our lives, and from this vantage point instructs and teaches us in the way which we should go. He teaches us through His Word, and by means of His providences. Happy are we if at all times it is our delight thus to be guided by Him. But if we fail partially to walk in the way which He indicates, and it becomes necessary for Him to frown upon us with His providences, we can rejoice, knowing that behind them He hides a smiling face.
II Chronicles 16:9 reads: “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of those whose hearts are perfect toward Him.” It is because God’s eyes scan all the circumstances and conditions which enter into the struggles of His people to do His will, that He is able to use His strength on their behalf where it is most needed. How blessed to realize that this is true!
From the standpoint of our Limited vision, we might easily become fainthearted and discouraged thinking that possibly our Heavenly Father is no longer protecting and blessing us. But because His eyes see everything, He knows exactly what we need, and Has promised that nothing can happen to us without His notice and permission.
God Hears Us
“For I said in mine haste, I am cut off from before Thine eyes,” writes David, “nevertheless Thou heardest the voice of my supplication when I cried unto Thee.” (Psa. 31:22) The background of this language is peculiarly that of the shepherd caring for his sheep. David, in one of his wayward moments, sees himself as a sheep which has strayed from the flock, and is unable to find his way back to the safety of the shepherd’s care. He is beyond the range of the shepherd’s eye, “cut off” from His sight, possibly by rocks or hills. His only recourse is to cry unto the shepherd, and thus to let his whereabouts be known in order that the shepherd may come to his rescue.
From the Psalmist’s use of the two symbolisms of sight and hearing, we get the thought that when God “sees” us, it means that we are a little closer to Him than when we realize a measure of separation from His love and need to cry unto Him in order that He may “hear” us, and in response bring us closer into the inner circle of His care. And how blessed the assurance that when we do cry unto Him, His “ears” are open to our call! Yes, God hears as well as sees; and this combined thought gives us a more comprehensive understanding of our Heavenly Father’s care than would be possible to obtain from the “eye” symbolism alone.
David outlines the attitude of those who are seeking after God if haply they might feel after Him and find Him, saying “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined unto me and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praises unto our God.”—Psalm 40:1-3; Acts 17:27
How glad we are that when we were in the horrible pit of Adamic death, and in the miry clay of sin, longing to know God and to be in harmony with Him, He heard our cry! Yes, He inclined His ear toward us, heard our supplications, raised us from the pit, and set our feet upon the rock, Christ Jesus. Not only so, but He established our goings. Instead of continuing to go through life aimlessly and haphazardly, God pointed out to us through His Word the great privilege of walking in the narrow way. He set before us a definite goal, the prize of the high calling; and outlined for us the course of the narrow way, inviting us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
“And He hath put a new song in my mouth,” David continues, “even praise unto our God.” No longer do we mourn over our lot, because we are not only firmly established upon the solid rock, Christ Jesus, but we have been given the song of Moses and the Lamb—a new song of hope and joy, even the song of present truth. And how sweet the privilege of singing this song to the praise of our God. This, indeed, is the very purpose of our God in putting a new song upon our lips—that we might show forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Surely we can say as did the Psalmist, “I will praise Thee: for Thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.”—Psalm 118:21
God’s Hand Over Us
How necessary is the human hand! It is because we are so well acquainted with what our hands mean to us that God speaks of His protecting care as though He were upholding and strengthening us by His “hand.” How vividly is the realization of His tender and loving care thus impressed upon our minds and hearts! We all need God’s help. Without Him we can do nothing. We are like the child who is not yet able to walk, or the aged who are too feeble to stand alone. Just as one who is full grown and strong gives his hand to assist the feeble, so God bears us up by His “hand.”
David, whose entire being panted after God as the hart panteth after the water brooks, had learned to know God, having experienced His sustaining grace. Thus David could write, “Now know I that the Lord saveth His anointed; He will hear him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand.”—Psalm 20:6
In the text just quoted, David speaks prophetically of the Lord’s “anointed,” which means that the blessed assurance of the saving grace to which he refers applies especially to The Christ of the Gospel age. Jesus, the Head of The Christ company, said of His Father, “I knew that Thou hearest Me always.” (John 11:42) Jesus said to His disciples that they too would be heard, and their requests granted, if they petitioned the Father in His name. (John 16:24) How true it is, then, that God hears us from “His holy heaven,” and in response to our prayers for help, strengthens us with “His right hand.” What a blessed assurance!
Through the Prophet Isaiah the Lord says, “I have put My words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of Mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art My people.” (Isa. 51:16) Planting the “heavens” and laying the foundations of the “earth” have reference to the, establishment of the new heavens and the new earth—the Kingdom of God. This is a work which God alone is able to accomplish. He uses His people, but they would utterly fail to perform their part except that He covers, or protects them, by the shadow of His hand.
In the wonderful prophecy of Christ’s Kingdom recorded in Isaiah 9:6,7, we have the assurance that “the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” How true! The preparation of those who will take part in the Kingdom work, and also the setting up of the Kingdom in power and great glory, is accomplished by the zeal and power of God. This is why we can have full assurance of faith, because, as the prophet states, “The Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.”—Isaiah 59:1
The Everlasting Arms
Moses, in giving his parting blessing to the children of Israel, said, “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” (Deut. 33:27) The Psalmist also thought of God’s support from the viewpoint of being sustained by the arm of His strength, and in prayer to Him said, “Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is Thy hand, and high is Thy right hand.”—Psalm 80:13
How comforting is this illustration of God’s supporting strength in our weakness! It is only as we realize our need of His strength that we appreciate what it means to be supported by the everlasting arms. The Apostle Paul, handicapped by what he describes as a “thorn in the flesh,” cried out to the Lord to have his affliction removed. God heard his prayer, but did not answer in the way the apostle expected. Instead of removing that which made the apostle feel that he was weak in his service of God, the Heavenly Father replied, “My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Thus did God reach down, as it were, and by these reassuring words of comfort, lift Paul up and sustain him with His everlasting arms.
The instrumentalities by which God’s power and glory are manifested, are limitless. His saving power toward mankind in general will be manifested through His beloved Son, Christ Jesus, who, in Isaiah 52:10, is designated “His holy arm.” Describing the manifestation of God’s favor toward the nations during the thousand-year Kingdom period, the prophet writes: “The Lord hath made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”
Under His Wings
God does not have wings like a bird, but we know how a mother bird protects her young under her wings; so He knows we will understand what He means when He speaks of protecting us under the shadow of His wings. And how comforting is this thought! How blessed to realize that our relationship to our Heavenly Father is so intimate that we can flee to Him at any time, and that He will spread His “wings” in order that we may find refuge under them, and be comforted by the warmth of His love.
David, in another inspired prayer, says: “Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of Thy wings.” (Psa. 17:8) What a blessed relationship to God is visualized here by David! There is no part of the human body more tender and yet more precious than the apple of the eye. God has provided the nearly instantaneously quick action of the eyelids to protect the eyes. It is difficult to imagine a more striking symbol of alertness and solicitude on God’s part than what the Psalmist thus suggests in his inspired prayer. David, believing that God did care for Him as for the apple of His eye, had confidence that He would hear him when he prayed, “Hide me under the shadow of Thy wings.”
And what was the basis of David’s confidence that God would hear his prayer? What is the basis of our confidence that our Heavenly Father heareth us always? We find the answer in Psalm 36:7, where the prophet writes, “How excellent is Thy lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings.” Yes, those whose hearts have panted after God, and to whom, in response to their panting, He has revealed Himself, know that His lovingkindness is better than life. They know that because He loves, He cares, and that no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. They know that God is for them, and that they can trust under the shadow of His wings with full confidence that no evil shall befall them.
In the 8th verse of the same Psalm, David testifies that those who do put their trust in the shadow of God’s wings “shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness” of His house. The Psalmist also affirms concerning God and the riches of His grace toward those who put their trust in Him, “Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures.” How satisfying indeed is the river of God’s pleasures! It is for the waters of this river that our souls cry out when we pant after God.
In our text, David inquires, “When shall I come and appear before God?” As Christians, it is our privilege to dwell in the presence of God by faith, even while still in the flesh. It is His abiding presence that sustains and refreshes His people. Through prayer, the study of His Word, and the fellowship of His people, we realize a blessed sense of His nearness to us, and we rejoice in Him, and in the power of His might.
But our thirsting after God will not be fully rewarded until we have finished our course this side the veil, and have entered into His actual presence. “In Thy presence,” writes the Psalmist, “is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psa. 16:11) While we now rejoice exceedingly in the river of pleasures which we enjoy by faith, we look forward longingly to that fullness of joy which will be the heritage of all those who prove faithful unto death. May it be, then, that our very beings, through faithful and self-sacrificing devotion to the will of God; continue to pant after Him by faithfully doing His will.