Watch/Listen
Union
Brian Mashburn
December 9, 2018
Audio Player
Union
As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God. - Psalm 42:1
When a deer needs water, by instinct, that deer knows that it needs water. Rather than suggest to itself that it''s "too busy to drink water", it becomes obsessive about getting it. Even when there is danger, the deer will risk it in order to get that drink. In fact, once a deer finds a water source, it remembers forever where it is, and returns to it daily. Deer will even settle down and then revolve their whole lives around access to water.
Deer, in their physical lives, are way smarter than us, in our spiritual lives, it seems.
Our souls need God more than a deer needs water. Without God to nourish it, the soul shrivels and dies and we become empty shells, over-busy automatons, or zombie-like sleepwalkers in and through life. Union with God is the epicenter of our life, and prayer - in some form or fashion - is a mandatory means of that union.
Now, to be fair, unlike the deer utilizing water to quench its body''s thirst, utilizing prayer in order to quench the soul''s thirst is not a normal part of the life of the natural man. It is something we must learn. This is why disciples asked Jesus, "Lord, teach us to pray". (Luke 11:1)
Please, dear friends, tell me that prayer is some part of your daily life. Does it not stand to reason that, once we know we need union with God to live, that we would find those places and practices were we can quench that thirst? Would we not build our daily lives around it in order to sustain our lives? Unplug from and release the world, every day, creating space to reconnect with God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God? - Ps 42:2