D-Day

Passage

"As the deer pants for the water brooks,
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?"
Psalm 42:1-2 (NKJV)

Pondering

According to the Encarta Dictionary D-Day is the "day when operation is to begin: a day chosen for the beginning of a military operation or other major venture". As I was preparing for the Tuesday Night Prayer meeting I sensed the Lord say that it would be "D-Day". As I prayed further my attentions were led to Psalm 42 where I heard these three couplets: The Deers will Drink, The Downcast will Dance and Deeper and Deeper!

For us to reach our D-Day, we need to pant for the River of God like a thirsty deer. This is not just a whim but a passionate desire to drink from His goodness and come to His River of pleasure and purpose. We need to realize our emptiness before Him and seek for the River. If we seek with all of our hears He will bring us there.

It is at the river (with the multitudes that keep the pilgrim feast - v4) that our downcast souls need to be commanded to hope in God and praise Him (v5). It's as our souls choose to praise Him, even when so cast down, that He shines His countenance on us and takes us into the depths of the river (v7).

As "deep calls to deep at the noise of Your waterfalls" (v7a) we are taken deep into the river where "His waves and billows have gone over" us (v7b). When you are deep under the waters, even when there is a violent storm above, you do not feel the turbulence above. You are in the stillness and the place where treasures in darkness are found. This is the place the Lord wants to take us as we launch forth from our D-Day, the day we dare to drink deeply like a deer!

Then God promises He will "command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with" us (v8). The downcast soul shall rise up under His glorious countenance to praise Him in song and dance, no matter what storms surround. When the darkness of evil night creeps in the Lord gives us a victorious song and then he helps our countenance (v11) to shine and not be downcast.

AFTER NOTE: I led the congregation through the above journey found in Psalm 42 on Tuesday night and truly the Deers were Drinking (many came forward to drink deeply), the Downcast were Dancing (almost everyone was dancing at the end of the time) and we went Deeper and Deeper with new songs in the night and our countenances shone. The next day I awoke with a smile on my face and such tremendous peace and joy!

Oh! And by the way, all the songs were in the key of D!!!

Poem

Our D-Day is at hand,
Where we enter the Promised land
The operation begins to expand
And enter into all He has planned.

It all starts as thirsty deers,
Casting aside all foreign fears,
And drinking deep from the one who hears,
PIercing through the veil of tears.

He will then wrap us in His waters deep,
And like a revived deer we'll leap
Into the promises He will keep
And a harvest of joy and purpose we will reap.

Prayer

"Father, draw me deeper and deeper into Your river of purpose and delights. Let this be my D-Day where I truly enter into your plans and purposes by thirsting after Your best and let my soul rise up to shine forth your love and joy all the days of my life. Amen!"