Original Entry: June 24, 2008
McMinnville, OR
O God, you
are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for
you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1
As the
deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living
God. When can I go and meet with
God? Psalm 42:1-2
In 2004
the most awkward thing happened to me. I was hiking up near Hume Lake in an
unknown trail when suddenly I saw it flash in the woods in front of me. Like Sasquatch, it disappeared before I could
indentify it. I moved fast, silent, in
hunter mode as I sought to discover the identity of this unknown creature. As I rounded the corner I saw him moving
quickly into he trees; a naked man!
Naked, except for his yellow socks, loafers and fedora hat!
Since then
I named the trail that goes around the rim of Hume Lake, the “Naked Man
Trail”.
Every year
at Hume I climb the NMT, a hike that usually includes 6-8 miles, intense heat
and usually a case of mild dehydration. I can appreciate what the psalmist
meant when he reflected on life in a “dry
and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1). I can relate
to the longing and thirsting of a body depleted of its resources.
In Psalm
63:1 we read, “O God, you are my God, earnestly
I seek you.” The word “earnestly” literally means “early.” Research tells us that breakfast is the most
important meal. After a night of being fast
asleep our bodies need to replenish. The
human system is replenished in the morning when we break our fast with
breakfast! That early meal replenishes
our lost protein sources and gives us the carbohydrates necessary to start our
day off right.
The soul
that truly “thirsts” and “longs for” God is the soul that must
replenish itself with Christ “early”
or “earnestly”. Hunger is satisfied when we choose to come to
the table of the Lord. Men hunger for
God.
How long
can you fast before you partake of Christ?
When do you finally feast on God?
At one point in the day does your thirst for him become unquenchable?
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my
soul pants for you, O God. My soul
thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
Psalm 42:1-2
