Daily Devotional for Monday, July 15

David’s Desire and Despair

“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?” Psalm 42:1, 2.

Waiting is stressful. Waiting for Christmas as children is tough, causing us to say, “You are slower than Christmas.” I can remember, as the youngest child with three older sisters, I would wait at the top of the stairs on Christmas morning while my sisters would do their hair and makeup. It seemed like it took forever for them to get ready, all while I was running up and down the stairs, impatiently wanting to open presents. Waiting can be very difficult.

The believer can have a similar experience. We desire to see God. We want to be with Him. We long for His presence. Like the deer desires water on a hot day, so do our souls desire to be with God. But there is a flip side to this desire: we might despair when we feel as though God is far away. Sometimes because of sin, sometimes because of a trial or sometimes because God is trying to sanctify us in some way, God feels far from us. At several places in the text, David repeats a refrain spoken from the lips of an enemy—“Where is thy God?” Sometimes that taunt can lead to desperation on the part of the believer, causing him to ask, “Where is God?” A deep desire for God can lead to a deep sense of lack of fulfillment. We want to fully know God and fully be near God as if we were in His very presence. At these times, we lean upon faith, and we lean upon His Word. We come to Him by faith, knowing that the feeling of His presence will return in His good time.

PRAYER
“Father, when I do not feel your presence, I trust you even more. Be near me, though, and give fullness to my trust. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Jason Rutherford