As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” Ps. 42:1-3
Gracious Father, your Word gives voice to every season, circumstance, and emotion we experience in the journey to gospel wholeness. In our joy and in our despair, and in everything in between, you are with us and you are for us.
You don’t love us more when we have a dancing heart. You don’t love us less when we have a doubting heart. Indeed, with kindness you drew us, and with an everlasting, unwavering love, you hold us.
Today we bring our discouraged, weary friends to you—those more aware of their burdens than your grace. Hard providences and difficult people, aching bodies and blows to the heart take their toll. Friends who bury a spouse way too early and children who seem allergic to the gospel; health concerns and relationship stress; mounting bills and decreasing resources all conspire to turn up the volume on the world’s question, “Where is your God in all this?”
Lord Jesus, you know what this is like, you better than anyone else. For in your life, and on the cross, you took the ultimate combination of assaults and insults, disparagements and discouragements, abuse by your friends and the absence of your Father.
Your cry, “My God, my God, why have your forsaken me?” assures us that we’ll never be forsaken—never. Even when circumstances beat us down, and life mocks our faith. It’s your thirst on the cross that guarantees us that our thirst is only fleeting. Indeed, Lord Jesus, as we pant for you, you are running to us with the living water of the gospel right now. We don’t trust in our ability to lower a bucket to you, but in your faithfulness to create a spring in our hearts. So very Amen we pray, in your faithful and tender name.