“As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after you.  You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship you.”  Those words from the first verse of  "As the Deer" by Eddie James.  Originally written in 1984, it has proven to be one of the defining songs of the worship era.  

The words of this song are based on the beginning of Psalm 42 that reads, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1).  Looking just at that verse, it seems that the words of the song appropriately capture the encouraging, worshipful and beautiful sense intended by the psalmist.  Yet, as one looks past the first verse to the remainder of this psalm, one would find words of desperation and anguish, not the gentle smiles and bowed hearts inferred by the song.  

A study of just the first verse of Psalm 42 reveals that the Psalmist is explaining his experience in the spiritual desert, and points us in the right direction.  It reveals the utter anguish of the psalmist as he writes and many of us can relate to this spiritual desert. In this desert is when we need to keep in close touch with God or we will shrivel up with spiritual dehydration and the Psalmist points us in the right direction.

One of the definitions in the Merriam-Webster’s dictionary for the word pant is to long eagerly or yearn. It is often in the context of a feeling that results from some form of physical exertion, usually running. This made me realize that a deer would pant for water when it runs (just as other animals and humans do), either from a predator or due to a need for satisfaction of its thirst.

With this realization, I learn from the scripture that our souls must pant after God as well. This means that we must also be running in order to pant. We must first run from evil, from temptation, from trials and burdens; we must run to God as we long to be satisfied. This Psalm is a proof that he has a very earnest desire to have communion with God, who created him and also shows that He trusted His plans for his life. is no other one, other than Jesus who can satisfy what we thirst for. He said come unto me all ye that are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). In other words, He was expressing that in Him and only in Him is total satisfaction and until we are satisfied, we must be panting after Him, the source of Living Water (John 4:10-15). 


Are you panting after God, the living God? Run into The Sanctuary today to worship and quench your thirsty soul!

When I think of transformation, I immediately think of the caterpillars transformation. The caterpillar with it's veracious appetite and unattractive features can become something beautiful and graceful. It just defies the imagination.

Yet that is exactly what God does for us. He took us from lowly, dirty, stinking sinners and transformed us into something beautiful through his grace and love. Romans 8:5 states, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” He took something ugly and made it beautiful.

It is so easy to get caught up and tangled up in the pattern of this world. It is filled with half-truths and lies. It is full of selfishness and desires. It uses, abuses, and discards of people once they are of no use. Yes, it is easy to get messed up in the affairs of this world. But God has called us to transform our minds from “stinkin’ thinkin'” to his good and perfect thoughts and will for our lives.  My dad used to encourage my sister and I to always "think on things that were good" and to believe that our Heavenly would always work it out on our behalf. 

I know that it can be a challenge to transform your mind and to get rid of the “old stinkin’ thinkin'” and retrain your mind. But I know personally, that the time you spend alone with God will transform your character. You noticed I didn't say change, because change can be temporary, while transformation is permanent. Change is easy, transformation is painful and hard. It took being in a cocoon of pain and suffering to permanently change me. I grew wings through my suffering and my whole mindset changed. I began to see life differently and no longer had to adapt to my environment because I could rise above it.

When God saves us, it’s not a temporary change. It’s a transformation. It requires painful separation from who we once were to who we’re becoming. It means we have to make the hard choices to leave behind the life we lived before so we can embrace the new, improved and better life He has for us. Instead of changing back and forth from environment to environment, God desires to continuously transform us more into His image and presence each day. 

The transformation is a journey that will continue throughout life. I’m done with change and living for transformation.Are you tired of trying to change all the time in order to meet the expectations others have of you? Do you wish you could just be the person God made you to be? Romans 12:1 calls us to be transformed into a new person by changing the way we think. He wants to renew our minds and transform us, not just change us. He wants to create something new in your life and being in His presence our Father can transform you more into who He created you to be. Commit today to the transformation journey and say I’m done with change and living for transformation.