Longing, but for What? - Solace from the Psalms - Martin Wiles

For thousands of years, people have found comfort in the Psalms. No matter what emotion you are experiencing or fight you're facing, the psalms have something important to say. For the next little while, Love Lines from God will feature, "Solace from the Psalms." We hope you enjoy. And please share them with a friend. 

I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? Psalm 42:2 NLT

Imagine trudging through the desert, depleted of water and food. Suddenly, an oasis of palm trees encircling a pool of fresh cold water appears. Your pace quickens. You finally reach the pool and lunge in only to be welcomed by a bed of hot sand.

Most thirst is not what a genuinely thirsty person experiences. Their mouth is parched and their lips cracked. Anxiety is heightened. Prolonged water deprivation is deadly.

God has created in humans a longing for spiritual nourishment, parroting our physical need for fluids. Nothing short of a relationship with Him satisfies (Romans 1:21-25).

The psalmist illustrates this need by referencing a deer panting for water, then confesses he is experiencing such a thirst: Adversity intensified his thirst and prevented its satisfaction. He was discouraged, sad, and forsaken by God—or so it appeared.

Some life events can be devastating: divorce, job loss, financial ruin, natural disasters, faltering health. Then we get thirsty, discouraged, or even depressed. We look for something to fill the void, but discover some things satisfy while others don’t. 

     

Prayer, Bible study, and relationships with other believers are acceptable ways to satisfy our longings. These and other spiritual disciplines soothe our craving to know more about Christ and help us enter a deeper relationship with Him.

The psalmist’s hope must be ours. Otherwise, we long for things that destroy health and emotional well-being: addictive substances, unhealthy relationships. God controls the circumstances, but we control our response. Only He can lift our veils of despair, enabling us to see events through His lenses.

God never forgets us, even though we may feel He has. 

Opposition, adversity, discouragement, and roller coaster emotions can intensify feelings but don’t change the reality of God’s continual involvement in our life’s details. 

Beware of looking in the wrong places to satisfy your thirst.

Tweetable: What are you longing for?

Prayer: Lord, when we’re tempted to trust in other things besides You, remind us where genuine fulfillment is found.

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God Hunger - Martin Wiles

God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. Matthew 5:6 NLT

Appetite doesn’t always diminish with age.

At 95 years of age, you’d think she’d eat like a bird. But not this nursing home resident. She’s one of our church’s shut-ins who recently found herself in the hospital. 

As I walked in, her daughter-in-law was busy feeding her a liquid diet composed of apple juice, chicken broth, and Jell-O. None of that sounded appetizing to me, but I hadn’t been five days without food as she had. 

“Apple juice,” she called, and her daughter-in-law put it to her mouth. “Chicken broth.” And the same response. Then, “Jell-O.” She continued to demand food until she had eaten—or drunk, every last bite. 

I’ve watched many elderly people’s appetites change. Some who were healthy eaters now eat just enough to get by—or don’t and dehydrate. Others experience a change of taste buds. Whereas they once ate healthy food, now they want sweets. 

But this elderly lady wanted the good stuff. She ate everything—and anything, they served her at the nursing facility. 

As I watched her demand food to satisfy her hunger, I thought of this verse. Jesus addressed hunger, but He wasn’t talking about physical hunger. Spiritual hunger was on His mind. Physical hunger—in the extreme, leads to death, but spiritual hunger can lead to death or a healthier life. 

From the time a person is old enough to know the difference between right and wrong, God begins to create a spiritual hunger in their souls.

This explains why all people groups in history have worshiped something. It might have been the elements of nature or wooden or stone objects that represented their gods. Yet they worshiped. 

What I do to satisfy this hunger is crucial.

Turning to nature or man-made idols won’t satisfy my appetite. My idols have never been constructed of stone or wood, but I have formed them in the shapes of sports, hobbies, work, and relationships. That was before I reached the point when I had a hunger for God…to know Him better…to serve Him fully. I discovered no thing, person, or relationship could properly take His place. The ache in my belly can only be satisfied by loving God with all my heart, soul, spirit, and mind. 

Let God, and God alone, satisfy your spiritual cravings. 

Prayer: Father, create in us a hunger that only You can satisfy.

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