To be desperate for something means that it has become vital to our survival. Anytime we have been hungry or thirsty our body signals for us to quench our thirst or feed our appetite. The rumbling of an empty stomach or the parched lips and dry mouth start us on a journey to find something that will bring us some relief and satisfaction.
A Psalmist once wrote, “As the deer pants after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, “where is thy God?” (Ps 42:1-3).
To study these verses out one can come to the conclusion that the Psalmist knew something about being in a dry place. In this sense the concept of a dry and barren place has come from a place of heartache and great sadness. “My tears” is what he had been feasting on for some time, as he put it “day and night.” There are times in our lives that tragedies or bad circumstances happen that can lead some to having great distress and depression.
Those experiences and happenings are definitely not good to have to go through, but it can be these things that let us know just how thirsty and hungry we are for the “living God.” We can learn that from the dry places that we can be filled when we desperately seek after that which is most important for our survival. The writer of Hebrews 11:6 wrote, “Without faith it is impossible to please God; for those that come to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Those who are diligent are those who are committed, persistent and plan on finishing what they have started.
I think it would be safe to say that those who are diligent are those who also have been desperate and truly seek after the will of God just as a hart, an adult male red deer longs after a water brook. The hart (deer) knows that if it does not get to the water his survival may hang in the balance. Likewise, if our “heart” does not become quenched by the Spirit of God we will continually seek after those “artificial” things that only bring temporary fulfillment.
Even Jesus said, “Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they SHALL be filled” (Matthew 5:6). This means we think it is vital for our survival and spiritual well being to be in a right standing with God. We will purposely make choices that align with the Word and will of God.
This alignment doesn’t even mean that at that moment we will get out of the “dry place,” but it will start us on a journey that through faith we will become committed to quenching the thirst of a longing heart.
12-7-25
TRS
Rays of Hope 