כְּאַיָּ֗ל תַּֽעֲרֹ֥ג עַל־אֲפִיקֵי־מָ֑יִם כֵּ֚ן נַפְשִׁ֨י תַֽעֲרֹ֖ג אֵלֶ֣יךָ אֱלֹהִֽים
King David writes in psalms: As a deer cries longingly for streams of water, so does my soul cry longingly to You, O God.
Is this an exaggeration? Is King David refereeing to his own feelings only? How are we meant to understand a statement like this, which doesn’t seem to reflect reality for most of us?
We all have done things that we are ashamed of, and we would never let anyone know about them. We have all thought things that we are ashamed of, and we all have said things that we are ashamed of.
How can we live with it? How do we live ashamed of our thoughts, our words, and our actions?
In truth we need godliness, goodness, innocence, and beauty. And we need as much as a thirsty animal needs water, if not more.
This is King David’s message. That every person has a soul that yearns for God, and the fact that we feel shame is proof that we know goodness, and desire it more than anything.
