“My soul longs, yea, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” Psalm 84:2

In the quiet watches of the night

My soul does long and cry;

It yearns for a refreshing, inner touch

From the Father up on high.

No earthly waters can calm this thirst

That wells from so deep within;

Only those that springs from God’s own throne

Can cleanse my guilt from sin.

I often wonder why my peers

Don’t seem to be bothered by such longings;

It’s as if they do not feel the same

As they glibly laugh, dance and sing.

But, such is not the case when my soul is heavy,

And my heart is bowing down;

I can only cry out for the living God

And pray that He would touch my heart even now.

“O Lord, my soul does long for Thee—

To feel Your healing touch;

I feel so faint as my heart cries out

And know it wouldn’t take too much.

“No, not too much, to quench my thirst

Or not too much to heal my pain;

I simply desire to know you more,

For that would be my greatest gain.

“So, hear my prayer, O Father of all mercy,

And touch my soul today;

Lest I faint from thirsting and hungering for You

As I seek to know Your way.

“Thank You for hearing my cry

And bending down so low. . .

For filling my needs by Your great love—

The greatest that we can ever know.”

by Tom Smith