Thirsting For Our Living God
Today’s Verse:
Psalm 42:1-2 ESV
As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
Lent is a season of longing. We walk with Christ toward the cross, our hearts yearning for renewal, for forgiveness, for the living God Himself. The psalmist’s words capture this deep desire—just as a deer desperately seeks water to quench its thirst, so our souls crave the presence of God.
But often, our thirst is met with dryness. Life’s burdens—suffering, doubt, and even our own sin—can make us feel distant from God. We wonder, like the psalmist, “When shall I come and appear before God?” The answer is found in Jesus. In His suffering and death, Christ bridged the gap between us and the Father. His sacrifice atones for our sins, and His resurrection assures us that our thirst will be satisfied in Him.
During this Lenten season, let your longing drive you to Christ. In His Word, in prayer, and in the Sacrament, He meets you with the living water of grace. He does not leave you parched but fills you with His steadfast love.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Lord, my soul thirsts for You. In this Lenten journey, draw me closer to Your grace. Satisfy my longing with the living water of Christ, that I may trust in Your mercy and rejoice in Your presence. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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