Today is the 13th of June, Saturday. For those of us who are at the MPCC Camp in Bintan, take a moment to be still in His presence.
We will read and reflect on Psalm 42:1-8
1 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?”
4These 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
6and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
7Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
have gone over me.
8By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
Reflection
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.”
Church Camps are precious opportunities to be attentive to His presence and to seek Him. May you have blessed time doing that.
Prayer: Take a moment to pray for the Camp today. And ask the Lord to help you to be attentive in all the sessions and activities for today.
We end with the collect for today:
O God,
the strength of all those who put their trust in you,
mercifully accept our prayers and,
because through the weakness of our mortal nature
we can do no good thing without you,
grant us the help of your grace,
that in the keeping of your commandments
we may please you both in will and deed;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, 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.
Daily Devotion 
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