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)
The godly remnant of Israel, God's people, have a longing for God, as do God's people of all ages. They picture David. I think David could easily have said these words hiding in a cave overlooking a valley. He could have heard hunters and the barking of the dogs and, in a few minutes, a rustle in the bushes. David's men on guard duty became alert. There is a little spring near the opening of the cave, and soon a little deer, foaming at the mouth, his sides lathered, plunges his head into the water and takes a good deep drink. He waits a moment, listening, then he takes another drink.
Therefore the psalmist could say, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God." Is that the way you feel about God? There are those who claim that if you become very legalistic and keep the Ten Commandments you are pleasing to God. My friend, man is alienated from God; he needs more than the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments show us that we are sinners, and we are in rebellion against God. We have no desire or capacity for Him. We need, therefore, to be born again. We need to be brought into the family of God and to the place where we can say, not just as a verse in Scripture but from our hearts, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God."
This will be especially meaningful to the remnant of Israel, but it is meaningful right now to many of God's children.
—From Edited Messages on Psalms by Dr. J. Vernon McGee
