The Book of Psalms were written as poems and songs of worship to God. They were the modern worship songs of their day and so we can learn a lot about worship by reading and studying them. 

I've always been drawn to the words of Psalm 42, but was intrigued by an article I read yesterday that described this Psalm as an example to those of us who lead worship. In this Psalm, the psalmist cries out to God, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” You can sense from his words that this is obviously a deeply personal prayer from a man who is yearning for God from the depths of his soul. But as the author of the article pointed out, this isn’t just a cry between himself and God, but a cry that he pens and shares with others. This is a very personal prayer but one that also comes from a leader who bears his soul before the people. 

Perhaps the challenge we can glean from this passage,  for those who lead worship (or who lead in any capacity for that matter), is to foster this kind of deep-seeded yearning for God in our lives and to learn to lead from that place. We can’t manufacture or fake this kind of longing, but when it’s real, others will see it and this sense of yearning may just be ignited in their hearts as well.

Today consider, what are some ways you can foster a sense of yearning and longing for God in your life?