My Journal and Diary
2021
March
Saturday, March 6th, 2021
Craving God?
When King David penned the lines of Psalm 63, he was in the wilderness of Judah. From that arid, desert waste, I imagine he would be more familiar with thirst than most of us ever have been. And in this state, he describes his longing as 'soul thirst,' saying that his flesh faints for God, as if God himself was life-giving water!
What a model for us! Perhaps this realization, that God should be the most important focus of life, is what made David so loved by God?
I also want to be a man after God's own heart. I want to behold God's power and glory! I want to know - with the kind of knowledge borne of experience - that God's steadfast love is better than life! And yet, I notice a tendency within myself to look for life-satisfaction in earthly, temporal things.
I recently spoke with a young person, who described the apps on their phone as 'time-wasters.' I can identify with that, as I have also wasted time. But aside from calling into question the appropriateness of wasting time, I also see an inclination within me to look for gratification and contentment in things which never satisfy.
Rather, I should go to that Well who is the source of all satisfaction; namely God himself.
While escaping his enemies, David fled to the wilderness to hide, and yearned to meet with God in the holy temple. But unlike David, we don't need to long for something so out-of-reach. Now, since Christ, there is no 'sanctuary,' no 'holy of holies,' no building in which God dwells, to which we must go in order to see and feel his power. Actually, the temple of God is in each of our hearts as we make room for Him, and give Him a place to take up residence.
The next time we find ourselves craving, perhaps we should put our phones, and other distractions away. Maybe we should prepare the temple of our hearts for the rich feast available to us in God.
Amen