“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. When can I go and meet with God?” (Psalm 42:1-2)

In Jesus’ encounter with the woman of Samaria, they would have a discussion about water, thirst, and eternity. Jesus asks her for a drink. She is amazed that He a Jew would talk to her a Samaritan. In their discussion she was speaking of physical things, while He was addressing spiritual things. “Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.’” (John 4:10) Intrigued she asked, “Where can you get this living water?” (John 4:11) Jesus now gets to the heart of the matter, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)

The Psalmist speaks of His thirst for God as his desire to meet with Him. “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. When can I go and meet with God?” (Psalm 42:1-2) Throughout this Psalm, He struggles with the thirst and finding ways to satisfy it. “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 42:5) In His struggle, He asks again, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?” (Psalm 42:11a) In his thirst for God, his final words are words of faith. “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 42:11b)

Many times in life, we feel like the Psalmist. We are thirsty for God. Then, where is the spring of living water Jesus promised? It is the eternal life which God has given us. In this life, we must drink from it daily as we are refreshed through our faith in Him. This is because we still live in a sinful world, and we ourselves still struggle with sin. Yet, when we spend time each and every day with God through His Word and through prayer, we find the strength we need because we have hope. “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” (Romans 8:24-25) While we wait, we abide with God, as He abides with us. “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 14:4-5 ESV)

The spring of living water is found in our eternal life. Thus, the picture of eternity provided in Scripture reminds us of our hope. “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. . .. The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” (Revelation 22:1-2, 17)

In the Love of Jesus,

Michael Block