Lyrics
Oh God, Father in heaven and earth.
I call to you like deep calls to deep, over water.
Show me you’re in this measure of grace.
Let tender mercies shine once again from your holy face.
Deep in my soul, there’s a craving, to please the one who has saved me.
Oh God, though I have wandered so far,
You know that I’m still a man after your own heart.
I am driven by rivers of pride.
You are my rescue – the maker and keeper of my life.
Lead me by the still waters again.
Use me in spite of the prodigal child that you know I am.
Just as a deer runs to water, so does my soul to you Father.
O God, though I have fallen so far.
You know that I’m still a man after your own heart.
Just as a deer runs to water, so does my soul to you Father.
Oh God, though I have fallen so far.
You know that I’m still a man after your own heart.
I’m still a man after your own heart.
My thoughts
I believe the ideas for this song were taken from Psalms like Psalm 51, and Psalm 42. It is a song of repentance, the cry from the heart of a wandering soul who seeks to return to its first love. I can definitely relate, as there have been times in my life when I haven’t put God first, and have felt my soul begin to drift. The wonderful thing is that with our Saviour, there is always a way back, but it must be the way of repentance.
In Romans chapter 7, Paul talks about the longing in his soul to please the Lord, yet bemoans the battle between his flesh and his spirit, as he ends up doing the very things he doesn’t want to do, while not doing the God-pleasing things his heart longs to accomplish. However, the very longing within us to please our Saviour above all else is what makes us a man or woman after God’s own heart. WE may not always get it right, but we are quick to turn back when we begin heading down the wrong path.
Pride is often the most subtle emotion that distances us from Jesus. It is therefore a good thing to ask the Holy Spirit to expose any pride in our lives, so it doesn’t take a stronghold. We can all be like the prodigal son, but we need to remember that he came to his senses, and returned to his father, and the father welcomed him with open arms.
Life can sometimes seem dry, causing us to thirst, and these are the times when like the deer panting for streams of water, we need to drink from the wells of our Lord, and allow him to lead us beside the still waters and restore our souls.