‘I thirst for You, my whole being longs for You.’ Psalm 63:1
Later in this psalm the writer declares. ‘I will worship You all my days.’ verse 4. I’ve never actually been in a desert and longed for the life-giving water. Complete lack of water to drink is life-threatening. The nearest I’ve come to being thirsty is when I used to go hill-walking in the mountains of North Wales. Our walks under the hot Welsh sun (though not as hot as the desert) made us thirsty and it was back in post-war days when the pubs closed at 3.00pm. The last mile of our walks, which fortunately were mostly downhill, would be done at breakneck speed before Time was called.
Can my love for God been compared to a deep thirst, can yours? How deeply do I thirst? This world is a barren land and we are strangers in it. We don’t fit in, are we thirsty for the love of God, His leading and comfort? Ours is a barren and thirsty land.
So that we can worship Him all our days, the words by Annie Sherwood Hawks in 1872 encourage us.
‘I need You, Oh, I need You
Every hour I need You,
Bless me now my Saviour,
‘I come to you’