Like a deer pants for water

https://odb.org/2024/06/04/thirsty-and-thankful

If you ever had a strenuous bout of competitive sports like playing a good set of badminton, you will realise how thirsty you can become. For me, the tendency before was to gulp down a 500ml bottle of 100 Plus or Gatorade or some isotonic sports drink to quickly replace the electrolytes and fluids. But the body trigger is thrist. In sports, the added carbohydrates may give us an energy boost. Actually, just plain water is good enough to quench our thrist and when really thristy, even plain water tastes illusionary sweet! That is why wildlife, like the wildebeest or the impala even cheetahs in the Serengeti, brave the dangers posed by crocodiles in the waters. They just needed to quench their thrist to rehydrate their bodies.

Psalm 42, attributed to the Sons of Korah, likens our desire for God to that of a thristy deer panting for streams of water. I guess as Solomon concluded in Ecclesiastes, we humans can not really live without God. Life is all vanity, meaningless, but becomes meaningful when we live for God. We then have a mission, a goal in this earthly life for God. We are assured of our destiny on the other side of eternity, by the grace of God through the blood of Christ. We can look forward to Eden Recreated.

A point I like to highlight this morning is that the Sons of Korah were descendants of a man named Korah who was part of a rebellion to overthrow Moses in the wilderness. The rebels who were not part of God’s plans were severely punished, and yet the descendants of Korah were reconciled to God, becoming worship leaders in the Israeli congregation. Such a remarkable turnaround and also such a privilege to be a worship leader for God. If you worship lead, whethe in a congregation or a cell group, count that a privilege and honour. It’s an exalted place of service!

God, by sending His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth 2,000 years loved us so much that whosoever believed in Him shall not perish but have life everlasting. As the deer pants for the streams of water, our soul longs for God. If we have known God already, cherish and appreciate our life in Him. Fulfil His plans and purposes for our lives. Respond to His calling for us. If we have yet to know God, perhaps it is time to do so. We need God in our lives like the deer pants for the water.