As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. (Psalm 42:1)
The heart wants what it wants.
I did not know that was a quote from Emily Dickinson. I have heard it used in various settings over the years, including in an episode of The Big Bang Theory. To me, it says that sometimes our desires are hard to understand. Why do opposites attract? Why do fools fall in love? Why do I keep rooting for the Minnesota Vikings? The heart wants what it wants.
Psalm 42 speaks to our deepest desire, saying in verse 2, "My soul thirsts...for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?" Yes, our heart's deepest want, our soul's deepest desire, is for a relationship with the living God. This Psalm speaks of a people facing challenges and hardships, surrounded by enemies, overwhelmed by the chaos around them. Yet time and again the Psalmist comes back to the assurance that God has not abandoned the people. "Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God" (v. 5 & 11).
That longing for a relationship with God is within us all. As St. Augustine said, "The heart is restless until it rests in God." Yet too often we look for other ways to fill that longing and still our restless hearts, especially when faced with challenges and hardships. We fill our lives with things and a false sense of security and wonder why it is not enough to still our hearts. Why? Because the heart wants what it wants, and what it wants is the Divine.
When I looked up that quote from Emily Dickinson, I discovered that is only the first half of the quote. The full quote is, "The heart wants what it wants - or it does not care."
Until our hearts are filled with the fullness of God, we will continue to long and we will continue to thirst. Come and drink from God's ever-flowing stream.
Worship This Week
Sunday, 9am, in the Peace Garden & Livestream on FB
Keep In Prayer:
Janet Santana, Rick Graham, Marvin Homan, Mary Wallen