Psalm 42 - Longing
Earlier this week I was out walking in the woods. Its been a cold winter in Waterloo Region (and many other places too, of course!), but this week the temperature inched up above freezing and, for the first time in many months, there was some open water in the stream. Soon, the thawing streams will be flowing and noisy again after months of stillness and silence.
Psalm 42 begins with the phrase, "as a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God." A Canadian paraphrase might be, "as I long for the flowing streams of springtime, so my soul longs for you, O God!"
The Psalmist remembers happier days flowing with joy but, right now, the Psalmist is discouraged, upset, sad, and filled with longing. But even in this downcast state, the Psalmist reaches for hope and believes that a day will dawn when he or she will once again praise God with joy. In our Canadian paraphrase, we might say God will act as surely as spring will follow winter.
What longings are in your soul? In what areas of your life is God challenging you to be hopeful today?
Marilyn Malton
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