Recently, I heard The Bible Project discuss a paradox reflected in Psalm 42. It's the idea that in God we have everything we need. God is enough. But as we seek God, we long for more. I know I want a strong faith. I want to feel that my faith in God is full, confident, and that in Christ I am satisfied. Psalm 42 opens with another equally important image. It's not one of fullness, but of thirst. The psalmist describes a deep longing for God, even though he already knows the Lord as his solid rock.
That reminds me that our faith isn't a final resting place. It is an ongoing thirst for God. And that thirst is not a weakness, as if to imply you're lacking something. Only living things get thirsty. Living faith longs for more.
Do you have a spiritual hunger? I'd be worried if I didn't. That hunger doesn't mean something is wrong. It means something is awake in you. There's an ache for God that doesn't show an absence of faith but a place to hold something more than you already have.
But notice that the psalmist doesn't cry out for answers. He's not looking just for relief or quick fixes. He longs for God. For the psalmist, the Lord is not a tool for solving problems. God is the desire. God is the blessing. 
We often approach prayer and worship with a list, hoping God will improve our circumstances. Of course, no one prays for bad things to happen. And praying for better days, healing, and success is fine. But Psalm 42 invites us to something deeper. It's a prayer that says, "What I need most is you." Before solutions, before clarity, even before relief, may God's presence be your deepest longing.
Stay blessed...john | 
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