Almost 34 years had elapsed, but he still remembered. Perhaps in some ways, Dennis Jernigan would prefer to not have such a good memory of a time such as that day, May 26th, 1987. And yet, that special time when he was a 28-year-old, and felt so distressed that he described himself as a wild animal with a desperate need for water – that’s when Dennis metaphorically thought of himself “As the Deer”, searching for a drink (perhaps not unlike the deer that walked through my neighborhood one recent morning, see picture). It was something he didn’t keep private, but shared with his Creator as he read an example written by an ancient poet, a person with whom Dennis felt camaraderie. That old poet also felt downcast, so Dennis says he drew upon the ageless work of that song-maker for sustenance. And, then he’s gone about telling others about that day, with a version of his own psalm from the Sons of Korah (Psalm 42).
In his podcast on March 29, 2021, Dennis Jernigan talked about the day in May 1987 as if it were yesterday. He admits, as anyone who’s in a deep pit might also do, that he thought for a time that the most refreshing answer to his misery might be death. That this episode happened just before he really began to make his journey with published music for others to hear (beginning in 1989) says something about the authenticity of Dennis’ song story. This was his own way out of that desert, a method he now ardently recommends others employ. And yet, Dennis is quick to relate that he doesn’t think of himself as really emerging from the dry time, but instead just discovered that God was still with him. That’s how he found – or rather, in whom he found – nourishment. His very life depended on finding that God was with him, and by drawing on His deep well. Dennis began the podcast by also sharing the story of another person who felt downcast, because she was an outcast. The Samaritan woman at the well (John 4) evidently was someone with whom Dennis also identified. Dennis’s life journey has brought him through struggle, as a man trying to understand his own past and the homosexual lifestyle he had chosen for a time (he left that lifestyle in 1981). You can read about this in his book Giant Killers. He’s adamant that Jesus has been the only answer for the thirst he had, and still has, and that realizing this has been transformative. That’s why the Samaritan woman at the well is a story that resonates with Dennis; she was searching for happiness and meaning in all the wrong ways, and Jesus tells her that He can give her the only water that will satisfy (John 4:15). Dennis’ message is simple: you can get out of the pit of despair, but you and I need the God-man continually for the wherewithal to live here and in the eternal future.
In the ‘maskil’ (perhaps a musical or literary term) psalm that the Korahites wrote, and the one that Dennis echoes, you don’t have to guess what these writers feel. Most of the ‘maskils’ (see especially the 7/28/2008 and 5/15/2009 blog entries for more discussion of this) indicate these poets felt a despondency that they salved with their prayers and songs to God. Is that implicit in the term ‘maskil’? Short answer: we don’t know. But, Dennis, and you, and I can know for certain that He hears. Part of the hearing, it seems, is that others with whom we walk and talk every day also have things with which they grapple. Nothing is outta bounds when it comes to relating to each other. We all need each other’s understanding, and the God who will ultimately heal all of those hurts. If Dennis has done this, so can you and I. We all need and have access to the water He has.
See this link for a podcast in which the author shares the song’s story: http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/as-the-deer-thirsts-for-the-water/
Read more about the author here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Jernigan
And, here also: Dennis Jernigan | About DJ
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