Inspiration from the Daily Psalm

from Psalm 42

Excerpt

As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.

Psalm 42:1

Daily Prayer

Thank You, Gracious God, for times when life is hard, when I can't handle life's challenges on my own, when I realize that my wisdom and my resources are inadequate. In these times, as much as a part of me hates them, I have no choice but to remember how much I need You. And in these times I can feel the longing of my soul for You.

Without You, dear Lord, my life would have no purpose. Without You, I'd faint from exhaustion and fade away. Without You, my discouragement would mount up higher and higher, with no hope of relief. Without You, my soul would be parched without satisfaction. So I yearn for You, Lord, yes, like a deer. You alone can satisfy my soul. You alone can refresh me. You alone can renew me. You are my life!

Postscript

The first lines of Psalm 42 have astounding power to touch our hearts. In 1984 Martin Nystrom took the words of this psalm and put them to music:

   As the deer panteth for the water
   So my soul longeth after Thee
   You alone are my heart's desire
   And I long to worship Thee

For more than two decades, this simple song has been one of the most popular in the praise and worship genre. Even now it's the 28th most popular song, according to the CCLI listing.

The Daily Psalm

The Daily Psalm is my devotional website. Each day I put up a psalm, a prayer based on that psalm, and some additional input, like a brief commentary or a quotation. I use material from The Daily Psalm on markdroberts.com for Sunday inspiration.