| Yearning |
|
| |
26:9 My soul yearns for thee in the night, my spirit within me earnestly seeks thee. For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. We "yearn" for a lot. Most days, I tend to "yearn" for that next chance I can catch some sleep. You know the feeling. The eyelids fight with all their might to close as you muster every ounce of energy to keep them open just a little longer because you have just a few more things that need to get done first. We "yearn" for food a lot. In fact, every few hours, the body reminds you noisely that it is time for more calories. Maybe you are in my crowd of "yearning" for coffee. Wait two hours after you wake up before having coffee and you realize that are facing the day in a fog.
The funny thing about "yearning" is that we ultimately do whatever is necessary to satisfy the yearning. Failure to do so leads to trouble. If you are over 30, when was the last time you stayed up all night? How many days did it take for you to feel normal again? We satisfy our yearning for food because we can only go so long without before our bodies suffer the consequences.
Do we "yearn" for the Lord? I have never been able to pull off an extended fast, but I hear that you soon reach a point where you stop feeling hungry. After several days without water you will stop feeling thirsty (because you will be dead!). Is it possible that we have denied our relationship with the Lord so long that we no longer feel a "yearning" for His presence?
We tremble at the thought of facing an entire day without sleeping, eating, drinking, or having a cup of coffee. Yet we can so casually decide we don't have time for the Lord today. The problem is, we don't notice the effects right away like we do with physical things. Maybe a week can go by and we don't feel much difference in our spiritual lives. We lose the "yearning." The ext thing we know we are struggling with sins and losing the battle. Our attitude goes down the tank. Our temper flares up. We wonder what is happening. What is happening?
Consider your body. Your body has been fearfully and wonderfully made with warning signs that something is not right. A fever is seen as bad, but it is our body working to purge sickness. Hunger pains are designed to remind you to fill your belly. Spiritually, we can start shwoing signs of sickness. Signs that should signal to us that something is not as it should be.
We have just come through the Stanley Cup Finals and the NBA Finals. Summer is starting and we are enjoying the outdoors. Has more time been devoted to watching overpaid men play games than has been spent in the presence of the Lord?
Is the Spirit giving you some hunger pains and yearnings urging you back to the presence of the Lord? |
|
Follow this blog
