How many of us have heard the story of the deer? Or maybe you have read the story of the Deer? Ok, let me make it short; you must have heard David say; "As the Deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after thee?"
My point is that the Deer is an animal with a scent that can shame all the Diors, Burberrys, Channels, and Paco Rabannes of this world. The bad part there is that it has to live in the jungle with all kinds of connoisseurs. You know, those that love it for its comforting scent, and those that love it for its distracting scent...finally..those that love its scent because it announces the word PREY!
This very factor has our sweet deer always under pressure. It runs from every unusual movement towards him and often crys wolf because of tension. This is for the sole reason that some particular animals like it with all the works, smell, flesh, bone, blood! Yuk!!
Now this got the Deer always trying to cover its smelly tracks by staying close to water, as its smell more than anything else, gives it away to its pursuers. In other words, there is a very strong and life threatening reason why the Deer pants after the waters!
That reason is good old plain SAFETY. The Deer loves its life. If it has to live to fulfil the multiplication mandate, then it has to keep safe. If it has to fulfil purpose, then it has to keep safe. The Deer knows that you dont fulfil purpose in a Wolf's belly..you cant fulfil purpose hanging from the teeth of a lion. So, it keeps close to water!
Why water? You may ask...water is the only element that conceals the smell of the Deer, thereby covering its tracks from the sniffings of its various enemies in the jungle! How does he achieve this? By jumping into the closest water he can find. When his enemy is in hot pursuit...you see the Deer running like he's about to win a price...seeking for the closest water point...river, or pool. As soon as it can immerse itself in water...his enemies miss his tracks because he loses his smell to the currents. SAFETY. We are the Deer...and the Lord is our WATER...we need to realise that like David did!
For as the Deer panteth for the waters, so our souls should pant for God, the only true God. And then our safety will come..for He is our safety!
We need to immerse ourselves in Him just like the Deer immerses himself in water. For the Horse may be prepared against the day of battle...but safety..is of the Lord! Its not of him that willeth...neither is it of him that runneth...but its of God that showeth mercy! No matter how hard the Deer ran..if he did not run towards the water...he would be dead meat!!!!
SELAH!!!
My passion is to promote personal development, national development and social responsibility, especially among youths.
Amen to that.
ReplyDeleteSomething else to add to this. The water brooks also symbolize a place of rest and solace, and a place where ones thirst is quenched. Over here, there's a creek where we walk to, and you can see the deer going to streams to drink. They risk it all, to get to the streams to quench their thirst.
Thats the same heart we need to have for God. Longing and panting and thirsting and questing after him. Ps 23 says he leads me beside STILL WATERS and restores my soul.
The silent aching inside that we all have, can only be quenched by him, when we press into his place of rest and find soothing and restorationg of our soul. But there has to be a pressing on our parts.
Thanks for your contribution bros. God bless you!
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