Panting for the Lord

Psalm 42:1 says "As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God."

I've been told that when a deer is thirsty, he does not notice you until you are very close up. He has single-mindedness, thinking only about his need for water. We are to do that too. We are called to be so consumed with our King, that we cannot think of anything else, we don't turn aside from the path, but keep our eyes focused on Him.

How, practically, can we do this? Although not an exhaustive list, here are a few ideas I came up with, through the Spirit's leading.

-Read His Word. If we desire a deep and lasting passion for the Lord, we must learn about His character. We learn this in His Word. It is there that we really develop a love for the Lord. I encourage you to read His Word every day. Set a goal for yourself (ex. 15 minutes of Bible study and 10 minutes of prayer), and make it your top priority. This time sitting at the feet of our Savior should be the highlight of our day!

-Pray. I cannot stress this point more. This is the thing that really draws us close to our Savior. When we are in constant contact with the Perfect One, He will make us like Him. Set aside a time to pray, but then pray throughout the day as well!

-Memorize His Word. When we are memorizing His Word, our King can bring it up later, reminding us of His promises and character.

-Meditate on His Word. When we are thinking about Christ and His commands, our mind is focused on Him, and looking to heavenly things.

-Sing praise songs. Praising Him again reminds us of His character, and as we meditate on Him, singing His praises, we grow to love Him even more.

It is my prayer that all of us would pant for Jesus, just as a deer pants for the water!