Psalm 42:1~So Pants My Soul For You

Anise with her kids, Moon and Glow, born April 26th.

Good morning, dear readers,

The Psalmist writes: "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God." ESV

There are still many days when my battered heart grows faint from loss and grief. Or even the spring time work load that forces me to run from dawn to night can wear me thin. I feel thirsty for God. It may take a little time for me to recognize this need comes from my spirit, where worldly things cannot fill and satisfy. So, I take the long way home where God's peace awaits.

Then, there are the routine daily pants for God that need filled with Bible reading, praying, singing, praising, and listening to His Holy Spirit. Those keep my soul refreshed. I know, because when I slack on any of these acts of worship toward God, the darts from Satan surprise me because I did not begin the day prepared.

Do you do this, also, dear reader? Can you identify with what I'm sharing today?

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

Sometimes, I pause in my barn chores and watch my goats, who are of the deer family, suck from the water pail on hot days. Their intense drinks say they need water, and lots of it now. Even the littlest goats slurp their water with eager intensity, making me laugh out loud. They remind me of human children who slurp their soup or chomp their food with mouths open.

Presently, I've been physically taxed over the last ten days, and it all started on April 26th, Friday morning at six A.M., after the last full moon.

I peered through an open shutter window of the birthing barn to check on my due-to-give-birth Anise the goat. Her eyes stared at me, huge on her face, as she peered through the screened window opening. I realized later as I replayed in my mind those first few moments, she was trying to tell me something, but I thought, Oh, I forgot to let down the shutters for the night.

I took two steps away from the barn to begin the feeding chores, when I heard a soft kitten-like, "Maaaa."

What? I thought, that sounds like a baby goat. I opened the door and underneath where Anise had stood were her two babies, one brown and one white. I said two things, "Oh, no!" because I had left the window open and it was cold, and "Oh, yes!" because they were alive and clean and Anise did a good job. All by herself.

Anise is a first time mother and a bit flighty, and she sure didn't know what to do with them after she did a perfect job of delivery and clean up. That morning began a long week of trying to teach the babies to suck and for Anise to stand still and allow them to eat. Around the clock, I did my job of making sure the babies got milk in their bellies. My soul felt parched often, from lack of sleep, but I stayed with it. I even prayed in the barn while I gave the weak baby doeling mother's milk from a syringe.

I still kept up with the other chores and my soul panted for my Lord. I needed Him as always, but also my attention had to stay upon these babies or I feared the doeling would die. I balanced it all, but I grew concerned I was losing the doeling for she grew thin.

The buckling began to eat good, though, and past his sister by three pounds on day four. Finally, my stubborn nature paid off and the doeling, which I named Glow, because she was born on a full moon, is now gaining weight and growing strong.

Place yourself in my situation with one of your own. Are you caring for a sick family member, or tending to several small children? Are you driving long distances that keep you away from home too often, so that you lose sleep? Some days we get empty in our soul for all we do, but we must snatch moments of time to think on the Lord and let Him talk to us by reading His Word, the Bible.

 I'm glad that God made us so that we need Him. Aren't you? Otherwise, we might forget about Him altogether and where would we be then, with no Father to take care of us?

Father, You are patient with me. Thank You for loving me this much. Please bless those who read this and I pray it will show them they are not alone in their walk toward You and with You. In Jesus' holy name. Amen.

Until next time . . . take care of your spiritual soul.