Voice: Mylene
Today is Thursday, 4th of December. Whatever you are planning to do today, take a moment to commit your plans to the Lord.
We pray in this Season of Advent:
O Lord our God,
make us watchful and keep us faithful
as we await the coming of your Son our Lord;
that, when he shall appear,
he may not find us sleeping in sin
but active in his service
and joyful in his praise;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Psalm 42:1-5
As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation 6 and my God.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.
A Deep Longing
When an animal pants, you can both hear and see it. The breathing becomes shorter, louder, and more rapid. In modern English, the word pant has also taken on a figurative meaning—a deep, intense longing for someone or something.
The psalmist uses the image of a thirsty, panting deer to describe his own longing for the presence of God. He is desperately thirsty; the only taste on his lips is his own tears. That, he says, has been his “food day and night.”
He thirsts for the living God. He remembers what God has done in the past, but he longs for a present experience of His presence. He recalls the times when he worshipped God with “glad shouts and songs of praise” in a multitude keeping festival. He even led the procession to the house of God.
Those were precious memories, and they only deepen his longing for the present presence of the living God—not just memories of a past one.
We too have experienced seasons when the Lord’s presence was rich in our lives—at retreats, camps, in Sunday worship, or in moments of quiet devotion.
But inevitably there are seasons when we become spiritually dry. Sometimes it is due to careless living, neglect, or sinful indulgence. As the saying goes, “If God feels far away, guess who moved.” Sin and the neglect of spiritual disciplines can hollow out our awareness of His presence.
As Isaiah says, “Your iniquities have separated you from your God” (Isa. 59:2).
And the psalmist himself admits, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Ps. 66:18).
We are still His children. He is always with us and in us—but sin can drive a wedge into our communion with Him.
At other times, it is simply a difficult spiritual season—what the ancients called “the dark night of the soul.”
Whatever the cause, we need to cultivate a deep longing for His presence. We need this longing especially when we are “cast down.” As the psalmist declares, “Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”
As another year draws to a close, may we long and thirst for His presence in our lives, and whenever our parish community gathers.
We end with this collect for the first Sunday of Advent:
Almighty God,
give us grace to cast away the works of darkness
and put on the armour of light,
now in the time of this mortal life,
in which your Son Jesus Christ who came to us in great humility;
that on the last day,
when he shall come again in his glorious majesty
to judge the living and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal;
through him who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen
Be blessed by this hymn, As the Deer
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after Thee
You alone are my heart’s desire
And I long to worship Thee
You alone are my Strength, my Shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart’s desire
And I long to worship Thee.
You’re my Friend and You are my Brother
Even though You are a King
I love You more than any other
So much more than anything
You alone are my Strength, my Shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart’s desire
And I long to worship Thee.
I want You more than gold or silver
Only You can satisfy
You alone are the real joy-giver
And the apple of my eye
You alone are my Strength, my Shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart’s desire
And I long to worship Thee.
Link to today’s Morning Office
About This Daily Devotion
This weekday devotion is drawn from the Morning Office and is part of a project initiated by Revd Canon Terry Wong, with contributions from clergy and members across various parishes. Each entry includes selected readings from the appointed Psalm and another Scripture passage, accompanied by a reflection and prayer. An audio option is also available, often ending with a hymn or song. We encourage you to both read and listen.
Our aim is to help Anglicans engage more deeply with our rich liturgical tradition, while meeting the devotional needs of today’s believers. This project began on Ash Wednesday 2025 and is offered on weekdays only.
For feedback, please write to us at info@mpcc.org.sg
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