¹ As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God. ² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1–2)

So begins a heart-wrenching song to the Lord, the expression of a deep desire to quench a spiritually incapacitating drought of the soul. Easily we might assume this was written by David, that sensitive soul who deeply loved the Lord and was devoted wholeheartedly to Him. However, the prescript tells us it was associated with the “sons of Korah.” Probably this was part of a collection (note Psalm 42 through 49 are attributed in some way to the “sons of Korah”). If this was the same infamous Korah of Numbers 16, who led an insurrection against Moses and Aaron and was subsequently swallowed up in an ancient form of a sink-hole from God, then it would speak of God’s grace that his descendants would have a role in the composition of Scripture. As for who specifically wrote this psalm, we don’t know.

Our song today has to do with inner disquiet, what some call spiritual depression. Notice the self-talk in verse 5, “Why are you in despair, O my soul?” (see also vss. 11 and Ps 43:5). We could wish that more would acknowledge parchment of the spirit and long for the “living God.” By this description, the psalmist is looking for God’s presence in a real way—not just a philosophical tenet of faith, not just a head knowledge. Indeed, all the theological musings in the world will not give one the sense of God’s presence. If anything, what marks out the God of Israel is that He is Yahweh, the one who is actively involved in a phenomenal way in their lives. While the name “Yahweh” is not used in this psalm, that is what the writer desires—a real presence of God.

The lack of that real presence of the “living God” precipitates the barrenness of the soul. This is not a unique experience for those of faith in God, for we are called upon to believe in Him whom we cannot see or audibly hear. Some seek after signs and wonders to give that sense of His presence, while others look for a still small voice, a sensation or something. Yet Hebrews 11:1 calls us to a faith that is an “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith itself is the answer to our spiritual thirst. Somehow, in believing in Him, trusting as we would a chair to hold us up, we trust God is present in our lives. We rest on Him. Yes, it is a struggle when God seems to be silent. That makes it all the more important for us to seek Him and believe that He is the living God, who is active in our lives even when we don’t sense Him.

Lord, I do believe You are here right now, unseen, but active in ways I will not know until I am with You in glory.