Psalm 42:1 NKJV
“As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.”
Among other divine patterns that God set into motion at Creation, every living thing was commissioned to be “…producing more of its own kind” (Gen 1:21 NCV). Like was to beget like, and that was to be through the means of seed: from plants, animals, and mankind. That natural physical pattern mirrored a spiritual truth, especially regarding our relationship with God in Christ Jesus. While talking with Nicodemus, the Lord Jesus hinted at that in the passing and said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (Joh 3:6 ESV). In other words, “Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life” (Joh 3:6 NLT). Hallelujah!
Therein, in the foregoing text, we are introduced to the truth that the Holy Spirit does give birth to spiritual life in those who believe in Christ, and that happens through the seed of God’s word. The way the Amplified Bible Classic renders 1 Peter 1:23 brings out that clearly: “You have been regenerated (born again), not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm), but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God.” Hallelujah! In that light, whereas our human lineage demands that we relate with one another as mankind, to every child of God born of the Spirit, there is to be a greater longing for divine communion with the Spirit of God. Nothing physical can truly satisfy that spiritual quest a regenerated spirit has towards God.
The Psalmist used an insightful imagery to express that inner longing for the divine and said (in our text), “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God”! He went to pour out his heart and said, “My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come and appear in God’s presence?” (Psa 42:2 BSB). Oh, hallelujah! Indeed, the longing of our inner man to go after the LORD, to behold His beauty, and to inquire of Him should not be taken for granted. Remember, in the fullness of time, all that is mortal and perishable will vanish away, but only the immortal and the imperishable will remain, one of which is whatever is born of the Spirit of God. Hallelujah!
Pst. Emmanuel