Longing for the Lord?

Published:
August 30, 2024 (one month ago)

Do you ever have a craving? Maybe you crave ice cream or something salty like potato chips. Or maybe you are thirsty, and you have a longing for water. Do you ever have a longing for the Lord? In Psalm 63, David wrote, “My soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs for You…” Our cravings and longings are often related to our needs or our recognition of those needs. Sadly, more often than not, we need some tough circumstances to remind us of our need for the Lord. In Psalm 63, David was stranded in the wilderness of Judah. It was hard to find food and hydration. It was hard to sleep. His future was uncertain. While all those human needs were real, David realized what he really needed was God. The other needs pointed to the greater Need. In 1 Samuel 7, the text says that people “lamented after the Lord.” The word lament means “longing with sadness;” in other words they were grieved and recognized their need. They had run out of options, so in despair, they longed for the Lord. The Lord doesn’t have to wait for us to be in despair, He is always present. But we, on the other hand, often seem to wait until things are really bad before we long for the Lord. He will be there but let’s not get into the habit of needing despair to draw close to Him. James wrote that “If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us.” He’s longing for us, let’s be longing for Him.