Psalm 42:1-11

¹Just like a deer that craves
streams of water,
my whole being craves you, God. 
² My whole being thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When will I come and see God’s face?
³ My tears have been my food
both day and night,
as people constantly questioned me,
“Where’s your God now?”

⁴   But I remember these things
as I bare my soul:
how I made my way
to the mighty one’s abode,
to God’s own house,
with joyous shouts
and thanksgiving songs—
a huge crowd celebrating the festival!
⁵ Why, I ask myself,
are you so depressed?
Why are you so upset inside?
Hope in God!
Because I will again give him thanks,
my saving presence and
⁶  my God.
My whole being is depressed.
That’s why I remember you
from the land of Jordan and Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
⁷ Deep called to deep
at the noise of your waterfalls;
all your massive waves surged over me.
⁸ By day the LORD commands
his faithful love;
by night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.

⁹   I will say to God, my solid rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I have to walk around,
sad, oppressed by enemies?”
¹⁰ With my bones crushed,
my foes make fun of me,
constantly questioning me:
“Where’s your God now?”

¹¹   Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed?
Why are you so upset inside?
Hope in God!
Because I will again give him thanks,
my saving presence and my God.

Listening to God:  The desire you feel for me is put into your heart by the Holy Spirit.  Rejoice in this desire!  Hold onto it like a lifeline.  Your yearning for me is a sign that my love has been poured into your heart by faith.  Your thirst for me draws you closer and closer to me so that I can claim more and more of you.  I am using your desire, as unfulfilled and frustrating as it may feel, to transform you into the person I want you to be.

Journal or lift up your prayers and reflections to God.

*Our season of prayer guide comes from Joan Gray’s book, Sailboat Church: Helping Your Church Rethink Its Mission and Practice.