The Daily Psalm

The Daily Psalm: Growing in God through Praying the Psalms

The Daily Psalm: A Devotional by Mark D. Roberts, encouraging prayer based on the Psalms. Learn how to pray the Psalms.

Sunday, February 12, 2006

As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.

Psalm 42:1

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Psalm 42

0To the leader. A Maskil of the Korahites.
1 As a deer longs for flowing streams,
  so my soul longs for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God,
  for the living God.
When shall I come and behold
  the face of God?
3 My tears have been my food
  day and night,
while people say to me continually,
  “Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember,
  as I pour out my soul:
how I went with the throng,
  and led them in procession to the house of God,
with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,
  a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
  and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
  my help 6 and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
  therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
  from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
  at the thunder of your cataracts;
all your waves and your billows
  have gone over me.
8 By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,
  and at night his song is with me,
  a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, my rock,
  “Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I walk about mournfully
  because the enemy oppresses me?”
10 As with a deadly wound in my body,
  my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me continually,
  “Where is your God?”
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
  and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
  my help and my God.

Daily Prayer (based on Psalm 42:1)

Thank You, Gracious God, for times when life is hard, when I can't handle life's challenges on my own, when I realize that my wisdom and my resources are inadequate. In these times, as much as a part of me hates them, I have no choice but to remember how much I need You. And in these times I can feel the longing of my soul for You.

Without You, dear Lord, my life would have no purpose. Without You, I'd faint from exhaustion and fade away. Without You, my discouragement would mount up higher and higher, with no hope of relief. Without You, my soul would be parched without satisfaction. So I yearn for You, Lord, yes, like a deer. You alone can satisfy my soul. You alone can refresh me. You alone can renew me. You are my life!

Postscript

The first lines of Psalm 42 have astounding power to touch our hearts. In 1984 Martin Nystrom took the words of this psalm and put them to music:

   As the deer panteth for the water
   So my soul longeth after Thee
   You alone are my heart's desire
   And I long to worship Thee

For more than two decades, this simple song has been one of the most popular in the praise and worship genre. Even now it's the 28th most popular song, according to the CCLI listing.

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The Scripture text used in The Daily Psalm is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved