Thirsting for God

“My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.”

I just love Psalm 62. It speaks of our utter dependence on God, just as a dry, weary land needs water, so we long for God. Some of church’s greatest spiritual writers have echoed these words, St John of the Cross and St Paul of the Cross. They experienced the wretchedness of the absence of God, and in their depths of despair, they uncovered themselves, discovered themselves and found the face of God.

We are busy every day. Our lives are filled up with being here and being there. So few of us find time to be with ourselves – not alone, but in our own company. We can so often be totally unaware that we have drives, callings and yearnings that seem beyond our understanding, that remain unfulfilled. This longing leaves us somewhat bereft, mourning for something lost and yet unknown. For such struggles this psalm was sung.

Some are born with an uncanny awareness of the presence of God, sensing him in quiet, in company, in the world that surrounds us. They possess a self-assurance, a self-knowledge borne of confidence and faith. Like the psalmist they cry out, “My mouth shall praise you with joy!”

So many young people have never entered this sacred space. And yet, here it is, constantly inviting, welcoming. The darkness that bedevilled the saintly mystics need not distract us today, for the face of God can be seen in each other, mirrored in the beauty and magnificence around us.

Come to prayer. Place yourself before him and find yourself.