Parched Land

I stretch out my hands to You; my soul longs for You, as a parched land. Psalms 143:6 (NASB) I've seen a parched land. I've lived in a parched land. Growing up in a desert, I know what the ground looks like at the end of a long dry season that started a month earlier than it should have and has stretched two months longer than normal. Having spent a significant amount of time in regions of Arkansas and Mississippi that rely heavily on farming, I've seen times of drought when the crops and soil are so thirsty that no amount of irrigation can make up for the lack of pure, thirst-quenching rain. Those are mental images of true longing - true thirst. Do I truly thirst for God that way? Do I live like nothing matters beyond communion with Him? When life crowds in, do I long for problems to be solved, or do I long to be closer to my God and Savior? I know the answer to those questions - I do not long for Him that way. But, that's where I desire to be. Today as life's complications stare me in the face, my desire is to long so greatly for my Savior that I see those complications as simply as way to draw me closer to Him. Lord, Your presence is all I need. Teach me to truly desire You!