You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. ~Psalm 63:1 (NIV)
David starts Psalm 63 by stirring himself up in his faith. We stir ourselves up by seeking God with all our heart and all our mind and all our soul. Have you ever found yourself in a place where your whole being longed for God? Maybe you didn’t even realize that was the situation. Do you have burdens you cannot carry any longer? This world can be a weary place and every believer will spend some time in the “wildernesses” of life. The wilderness has been described in many ways. It is a place where we find ourselves lonely and solitary, desolate and afflicted, wanting, wandering, and completely unsettled. The wilderness can even be a season in life when we are quite at a loss as to what we are supposed to do. When the presence of the Lord does not feel present in our life, we can consider ourselves spiritually roughing it. Jesus said in Mark 4:19 “but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” (NIV) The Lord says our priorities have a lot to do with our emotional and spiritual health in the midst of our circumstances. If you have ever experienced the presence of the Lord, you know being without Him is not where you want to find yourself because the presence of the Lord is where we find and establish our peace, it’s where He dispenses His wisdom and it's where God restores us to be who He created us to be.
In the fourth chapter of Mark, Jesus was telling us what pulls us away from Him. He said it is anxiety and worry and the desire for more. It's fear of the future, worry about how we will hold "our kingdom" together...more fun, more money, more things, a bigger this or a bigger that, the list goes on and on. It's a lie that anybody holds your tomorrows secure but God and it is a lie that money or possessions is what solves your problems and gives you joy. Hoping the things of this world will fulfill us only brings more worry and anxiety that we will eventually project onto others. Sure, money can make you happy, but only for a season. Lasting joy comes from the Lord and from Him alone. That joy our soul yearns for springs from a heart of contentment. Are you content in Christ? If not, you do not know what it means to be in Christ. What is it that you desire more than the Lord? What are you working towards? Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (NIV) Many of us are going at it backwards. Seeking to be satisfied by the world and what it affords is deception. Anything we put before the Lord will eventually leave us empty, whether it's our careers, our possessions or even people. If you are weighed down by the demands and pressures of this life, you have to go to Jesus. No one else can carry your burdens but Him. He promises in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (NIV) Scripture teaches David was a man after God’s heart. David knew where to go when the pressures of life took him to a dry and weary land. He sought after His God. If you want to walk out of that wilderness place, you will have to do the same as well. What are you doing to seek after God today? Don't let trouble come before you put forth the effort. Make your relationship with the Lord your number one priority. He knows us better than we know ourselves.
Then I will return to my place until they admit their guilt and turn to me. For as soon as trouble comes, they will earnestly search for me. ~Hosea 5:15 (NLT)
What are you working towards? What goals do you have that brings glory and honor to God?
Write an answer
Write an answer
コメント