The Longing

 I've done a lot of praying and thinking about just what true intimacy with God is. Psalm 37 tells us to "delight" ourselves in Him, but what does that really mean? What does it mean to us? How much of a delight is He really to you and me? James 4:8 says, "Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you." How do we do that? What keeps us from doing that? 

Psalm 37:4 reads, "Take delight in the Lord and He will give you your heart's desire." How do we tend to read and understand that? Does our degree of delight depend much more on getting our heart's desire, most often a thing, situation, or relationship, than it does on being with Him? Sometime back, I was challenged in one of writer Larry Crabb's books to think about when I most sensed His presence in my life. And when I was most aware of His absence. This is what I wrote in my prayer journal; "I most feel His Presence when I come near to Him and give Him all of myself. My hopes, dreams, cares, ambitions, and fears......I most feel His absence when I insist on clinging to those same things and having some sense of control over them all." It's hard to focus on anything else when your arms and hands are full, trying to make sure nothing is dropped. It's impossible to draw near to Him when this is the case. I feel sure that this is the reason so much of our prayer life leaves us feeling disappointed, frustrated, restless, burdened, and joyless.  Crabb asks if we are "graspers" or "givers?" These things, these desires, even the deepest that we hold, do we bring them to Him, give them to Him, or do we grasp them, cling to them, keep them....to ourselves? Do we even want to come to a relationship place with Him where we enter into the deep enjoyment of His fellowship? A fellowship marked by our joy and delight in Him. A place where our desires, even the deepest of them, are not forgotten but neither do any longer hold us captive. We are immersed in Him and not our desire for them.

It was a phrase made popular in the 90's; Jesus Satisfies! This is true, but if we're not careful, if we don't guard our hearts, we can end up thinking that the satisfaction He promises is all about this life, and is found in this life. Found in the form of His blessings. We become blessing dependent people, not Christ dependent ones. The fullness of the satisfaction He promises will be realized in eternity, but we can begin to be immersed in His eternity right now. We'll always have a yearning for more, but it will not be for more things, more blessings, but for more of Him, His Life, His Presence. He becomes and is the desire of our heart.

So, when do you most feel His Presence, and when His absence? How are you responding to His call to draw near to Him, and if you come, with what are you coming? Do you come ready to give or determined to grasp? A blessing centered life offers only passing satisfaction. We always seek a new and bigger blessing. Someone said, "Aware of it or not, we all long for Him....even you." We will try to fill that longing with something.....only He will be the One who can satisfy that longing. Even in you.

Blessings,
Pastor O