September 7, 2021 (Tuesday)
“As the Deer” is a prayer based on Psalm 42. Like the Psalms in our Bible, it is a prayer set to music. It expresses a deep desire to know Jesus better, and reminds me of a much older song by Dick Baker: “Longing, longing for Jesus, I have a longing in my heart for Him. Just to be near Him, to feel His presence, I have a longing in my heart for Him.”
“As the Deer” is a praise song written in 1981 by Martin J. Nystrom when he was 25 years of age. He is now 65. He was in a spiritual valley in his life and was seeking a closer walk with the Lord. Sitting at the piano, trying to write a song, he was playing chords. He glanced at an open Bible on the piano and saw the verse (Ps 42:1), “As the deer panteth for the waters, so my soul longeth after Thee, O God.”
He began to sing the verse, and in a few minutes had written the entire song.
Music publishers have requested more verses of the song, taken from Psalm 42, but “Marty” has felt that the effectiveness of the song is its simplicity. The singer can easily memorize it and sing it as a prayer directly to the Lord.
The song was written 40 years ago, but in the minds of old-timers such as I, it is part of a new genre of music. Although it is considered a praise song and as such not a hymn, it is one of my favorite songs.
“As the deer panteth for the waters, so my soul longeth after Thee, O God.”
