"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?"
These first came to mind as I was returning back from vacation. While I did attend a "fellowship meeting" on board and I was with my family and I was even preparing for the upcoming James Bible Study; yet, I felt "drier" than usual. I had missed church for two weeks; I am typically more intensely preparing for each Sunday lesson; and I would have community small group midweek every couple of weeks. By not having all these, my soul was thirsting for God.
I did have some great moments of communing with the LORD, as I tried to find quiet places to pray or read Scripture while on the ship. But, environment, fellowship, and corporate worship do make a difference on our spiritual walk.
The last couple of days, I have really felt the need to stop and spend quiet time with the LORD. I felt like I needed to be impacted by the true meaning of Christmas. I realize that spending time meditating, thinking, reflecting, or contemplating is really important for listening to and learning from the LORD. When I don't stop to satisfy the thirst, I'll miss out on truly meeting God. Just going to church and even just doing routine reading of Scripture and prayer is just not as meaningful, without taking the time to really "drink in" from the streams of Living Water.
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