PSALM 42:1

SCRIPTURE

ኢራብ ናብ ዓይኒ ማያት ከም እትናፍቕ፣ ከምኡ ኸኣ ነፍሰይ ናባኻ፣ ዎ አምላኽ፣ ትናፍቕ ኣላ።
“As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for You, O God.”

REFLECTION

This Psalm speaks from dryness. The soul longs because it has been separated from its source. Human beings are created from God and for God, and when life drifts from prayer and worship, the soul weakens.

The deer does not search for water out of curiosity, but necessity. In the same way, the soul seeks God not as an idea, but as life itself. Other things cannot satisfy because they were never meant to.

The longing described here is not failure. It is a sign of life. Thirst becomes dangerous only when it is ignored or redirected toward lesser things.

THEOLOGICAL FOCUS

The nature of the soul. Repentance. God as the source of life.

LITURGICAL MEANING

This Psalm belongs especially to fasting periods. Fasting reveals the soul’s hunger and redirects desire toward God rather than suppressing it.

PRACTICE

Faithful fasting. Increased prayer. Returning to Scripture as nourishment.
The fast teaches dependence.