Read
(A psalm by David when he was in the desert of Judah.)
God's Love
1 You are my God. I worship you.
In my heart, I long for you,
as I would long for a stream
in a scorching desert.
2I have seen your power
and your glory
in the place of worship.
3Your love means more
than life to me,
and I praise you.
4As long as I live,
I will pray to you.
5I will sing joyful praises
and be filled with excitement
like a guest at a banquet.
6I think about you, God,
before I go to sleep,
and my thoughts turn to you
during the night.
7You have helped me,
and I sing happy songs
in the shadow of your wings.
8I stay close to you,
and your powerful arm
supports me.
9All who want to kill me
will end up in the ground.
10Swords will run them through,
and wild dogs will eat them.
11Because of you, our God,
the king will celebrate
with your faithful followers,
but liars will be silent.
Reflect
ATVs are a lot of fun… Riding ATVs in 100 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) without water is not fun. My family and I were riding along some paths in a desert canyon in southern Nevada. It didn’t take us very long before we realized we had forgotten to bring water with us.
Immediately, my lips began to crack from the dry air, my skin started to burn, and my throat was scratchy from a lack of water. I began to have an understanding of what thirst means, and would have bounced with joy to have been given a bottle of water. When I am sitting inside an air-conditioned room within walking distance of our cold water, I don’t really have a way of connecting with the idea of thirst. I really don’t pay any attention to water and usually take it for granted.
It isn’t until we are without water that our body begins to cringe, thirst, and sometimes faint. The more water we consume, the harder it is to be without it.
David wrote this psalm while he was passing through the Judaean Desert. That desert oftentimes reaches temperatures of 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius). I can’t imagine the misery of having to trek this wilderness on foot with a limited supply of water. David begins to channel his experience of thirst as an expression of how much his soul longs for the Lord.
Our lives should not become used to living in this extreme environment – being distant from God. But we should continually consume so much of him that just a slight withdrawal causes us to cringe with thirst. The only way to consume more of God is to engage with the Bible and seek him in prayer.
Respond
O God, you are our God! Help us to earnestly seek you and to thirst more and more for you and the things that are of you. Help us to praise you with joyful lips and point others to this living water.
J. R. Bucklew
J.R. Bucklew is a visionary with ideas that are quickly becoming the standard in other parts of the world. Born a hearing child of deaf parents (CODA), his first language growing up was American Sign Language (ASL), and he still considers ASL his heart language. He has a strong desire for the Deaf community to know and understand the Word of God. This has allowed him to travel to many parts of the world, both ministering to and being an advocate for the Deaf. Prior to coming to Albuquerque, NM, JR and his wife ministered to the Deaf in Ethiopia. They started a Deaf church and opened a café that exclusively employed Deaf people. They also formed two sign language centers and helped train others to work with the Deaf. JR’s journey with Deaf Bible began in 2012 and is now President and visionary-lead of the Deaf Bible Society. JR also serves on the boards of several other Deaf ministries in the United States.