Treasury of David Volume 2 by Charles Spurgeon - scotknight

Psalm 42 4did not seek, honour he did not covet, but the enjoyment of communion withGod was an urgent need of his soul; he viewed it not merely as the sweetest ofall luxuries, but as an absolute necessity, like water to a stag. Like the parchedtraveller in the wilderness, whose skin bottle is empty, and who finds the wellsdry, he must drink or die—he must have his God or faint. His soul, his veryself, his deepest life, was insatiable for a sense of the divine presence. As thehart brays so his soul prays. Give him his God and he is as content as the poordeer which at length slakes its thirst and is perfectly happy; but deny him hisLord, and his heart heaves, his bosom palpitates, his whole frame is convulsed,like one who gasps for breath, or pants with long running. Dear reader, dostthou know what this is, by personally having felt the same? It is a sweetbitterness. The next best thing to living in the light of the Lord's love is to beunhappy till we have it, and to pant hourly after it—hourly, did I say? thirst is aperpetual appetite, and not to be forgotten, and even thus continual is the heart'slonging after God. When it is as natural for us to long for God as for an animalto thirst, it is well with our souls, however painful our feelings. We may learnfrom this verse that the eagerness of our desires may be pleaded with God, andthe more so, because there are special promises for the importunate and fervent.Verse 2. My soul. All my nature, my inmost self. Thirsteth. Which is more thanhungering; hunger you can palliate, but thirst is awful, insatiable, clamorous,deadly. O to have the most intense craving after the highest good! this is noquestionable mark of grace. For God. Not merely for the temple and theordinances, but for fellowship with God himself. None but spiritual men cansympathise with this thirst. For the living God. Because he lives, and gives tomen the living water; therefore we, with greater eagerness, desire him. A deadGod is a mere mockery; we loathe such a monstrous deity; but the ever livingGod, the perennial fountain of life and light and love, is our soul's desire. Whatare gold, honour, pleasure, but dead idols? May we never pant for these. Whenshall I come and appear before God? He who loves the Lord loves also theassemblies wherein his name is adored. Vain are all pretences to religion wherethe outward means of grace have no attraction. David was never so much athome as in the house of the Lord; he was not content with private worship; hedid not forsake the place where saints assemble, as the manner of some is. Seehow pathetically he questions as to the prospect of his again uniting in thejoyous gathering! How he repeats and reiterates his desire! After his God, hisElohim (his God to be worshipped, who had entered into covenant with him),he pined even as the drooping flowers for the dew, or the moaning turtle for hermate. It were well if all our resortings to public worship were viewed asappearances before God, it would then be a sure mark of grace to delight inthem. Alas, how many appear before the minister, or their fellow men, and