Daily Devotional For Saturday, July 4, 2026

Good morning and happy Independence Day. Today, our country is 250 years old. What a milestone for us as a nation. Our daily devotional for today comes from Psalms and in some way, it is about spiritual independence from sin, this world and our culture. The psalmist writes this in Psalm 42:1-2:

“As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. (2) I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before Him?” (NLT).

You may have read these verses many times but they still are powerful no matter how many times we read them. The psalmist uses wonderful imagery to portray how we need to depend on God and not on anyone or anything else. The psalmist reminds us in this psalm that life depends on God. Without God, there is no life. None. There is existence, but not life. There is a huge difference and yet so many people choose only to exist rather than live. Jesus talked about this in John 10:10, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (NLT). The thief, the devil, convinces us to believe his lies that we can live life without God. 

We cannot live without oxygen, so the soul cannot live without God. Sadly, we believe the devil’s lies that we can live life with other gods. No soul can live and survive without God. This includes the most devout disciple of Jesus Christ and the most devout atheist. This world and our soul has so many thirsts. Though so many Christians would say that God needs to be their number one thirst, rarely He is. 

The psalmist reminds us that our greatest dissatisfaction in life is our thirst for God. Meaning, our soul thirsts for God and yet, we try to fill our thirsts with other gods and other things. A thirsty deer will search for water until it finds it and then it will drink it to satisfy its thirst. Salvation is often described in Scripture as a thirst. In John 7:37, Jesus said this, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (ESV). The psalmist  is reminding us that fellowship with God is what refreshes our dry soul and gives it vigor to keep going. 

The psalm says it is by the descendants of Korah. The sons of Korah were the priests at the entrance of the Tabernacle and later musicians in the Temple. Some scholars think this psalm was written during the years the Jews were living in exile in Babylon and Persia. If this is the case, Jerusalem and the Temple had been destroyed. The people were living as slaves in a foreign country a thousand miles from their native land. Everything they had known and loved had been stripped from them. Now, the descendants of Korah thirst and wish they had thirst for God when God had warned them for years to repent or face punishment. There may be some regret in the psalmist’s prayer here. 

The psalmist may have been remembering what life had been like when worship was in the Temple. So, this Korahite is being forced to be absent from the house of the Lord. The homelessness he felt was because he was unable to join other believers and worshippers. This reminded him of his alienation from God that was caused by sin. He wants to know where he can go and stand before God. 

The truth is: he could do this right where he was, even if it was living as a slave in exile. We often are no different. We remember powerful worship services and God moving in our lives and we long to experience that again. The psalmist misses the festivals such as Passover, Weeks and Booths. He did not realize or appreciate what he had until it all was taken from him. 

We live in such freedom in this country where we can worship God without fear of government intrusion and threat of persecution. We really do not appreciate this freedom. We will if it is ever taken from us. What is so sad is that our regret then will be too late. So, as you celebrate America’s independence, make sure you celebrate your spiritual independence from sin, death and evil by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Reflection Assignment: What has been something God has done in your life that you still relish it to this day? When you go to worship the Lord, is your attitude joyful? Do you go expecting God to speak to you and move in your life? Does your soul thirst for God as a deer that is dehydrated and near death from lack of water? If not, what needs to change in your life?

Scripture To Meditate On: Psalm 122:1, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord’” (NLT).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I am so sorry I do not thirst for You as I should. Please forgive me for trying to fill my thirst with other things and other people other than You. I want to be joyful and expectant as I go to worship so that I will appreciate the freedom I have to worship You. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly