“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”
—Psalm 42:1-2 NIV
Have you ever felt unsettled, like there was a deep hole or craving that must be filled? Our Creator made us with these deep yearnings. But have you ever wondered what you were yearning for?
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines a need as “something that a person must have: something that is needed in order to live or succeed or be happy.”1 We need food and water to keep us alive. But we yearn for much more. Our hearts are longing for love, life, identity, and purpose. This is by design. The Father made us needy so we would be driven to seek Him to meet these deep needs!
When my young teenage children seemed to have no interest in the things of God, I cried out to Father on their behalf. The Spirit responded, “Pray that they would have the gift of hunger for Me.” I replied, “Yes, Lord! If they hunger for You, then they will seek, find, and follow You through the rest of their lives!” I prayed this prayer, and in the days that followed I watched Father gift them with a hunger to know Him. I trust that this hunger will keep them leaning into Yeshua throughout their lives.
David the psalmist cried out to God from places of deep need. He said in Psalm 27: “Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice, and be gracious to me and answer me. When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to You, ‘Your face, O Lord, I shall seek’” (vv. 7–8, emphasis added). By seeking the Lord, David discovered that God was personal, loving, and the answer to his prayers. In Father God, David found all that he needed.
Beloved, whenever you feel lost and needy, remember that your neediness is a gift from God. Problems result if we seek to meet our needs apart from God and His wisdom. Yeshua cries out to you: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Rev. 3:20, NIV).
Father, thank You for the gift of hunger. As the deer pants for water, so does my soul long for You. I turn away from the people and things of the world to search for You with all my heart. I delight myself in You, whom I trust.
1. Merriam-Webster.com, s.v. “need,” accessed May 29, 2020, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/need.
Cynthia Schneider, From Passover to Pentecost (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2021), Used by permission.
