As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and behold the face of God? Psalm 42:1-2
These verses from Psalm 42 beautifully express the longing we have for God. We long for God like a deer longs to drink from a flowing stream. Our longing for God is a real spiritual thirst. We long to enter into God’s presence and behold God face to face.
Richard Rohr writes that our longing for God is like a “homing device." It is an inner motivation or instinct which propels us on our spiritual journeys to seek union with God. Our longing moves us forward and guides us home into the holy presence of God. This longing reminds me of how birds instinctively know when, how and where to migrate. Salmon know how to swim back upstream to the headwaters of their birth. A similar spiritual process is going on inside our souls.
From where I sit on my chair each morning and evening, I nurture my longing for God through contemplative prayer. I express my longing. I let it flow in the silence of my heart. And I sense that my longing is bringing me home, closer to God — day by day, step by step, sitting by sitting.