How Longing Leads Us Closer to God
/
I stretch out my hands to you; my soul longs for you as a parched land.” Psalm 143:6
Going Through the Motions
Jackie arrives early at church to prepare to teach middle school kids. She loves their energy and adolescent angst. As she finishes up the early morning class, she rushes to the sound booth to run the slides for the morning service. Outwardly she feels relaxed and competent making sure all the behind-the-scenes work runs smoothly, but inside she feels dull.
She squirms in her chair as the pastor preaches. She knows she’s making some decisions that don’t line up with the Word. She remembers the old slogan, “What would Jesus do?” Her face is downcast as she knows He isn’t pleased with her choices. She continues the charade but knows her heart is far from God.
She remembers the early days of knowing Christ. Her eyes are open to the wonder of His love as she reads His Word. Her heart is moved as tears roll down her cheeks. She talks about Jesus with her coworkers and family. They don’t always understand her newfound passion, but they appreciate her simple faith. Now she’s going through the motions, and God seems far away. How did I get here, she wonders?
Her relationship with God is lukewarm. She loves Him but doesn’t quite know how to connect with Him. She views her service to Him as her highest calling. She needs to prove she’s worthy of His love. But deep down she’s dissatisfied. Her prayers go unanswered. She can’t remember the last time she read her Bible. God seems far off, and she wonders there must be more to this relationship with her Creator. She’s afraid to move too close to Him because He’ll probably be disappointed in her.
She longs for the old days when she felt close to God.
Pay Attention To Longing
If we’ve walked with God for any amount of time, we often feel this longing for more, don’t we? I know I have. What if this ache is the thing we need to pay attention to? What if understanding our longing is the very thing that propels us closer to God?
It’s helpful to assess what we want in our relationship with God. If we long for more, what is keeping us from having it? The truth is, we can have as much of God as we want. He is ever inviting us close, but we often ignore His wooing. We stuff our longing deep down, buried beneath our long list of things to do, and our service for God. We worry we might not be enough if we tell God what we really want.
Jesus was gifted at asking people what they wanted from Him. It was often the first question He asked the broken and sick as He was traveling about preaching and healing. He’d look them directly in the eye and say, “What do you want from me?”
What a powerful question. Jesus is still asking us today. When we get honest about what we really want from God, then we can move forward. If we want intimacy and loving union with God, what steps are we willing to take to have it? What conversation are we willing to have with God, and what things are we willing to do differently so we can be close to our Maker?
God is ever calling us close. It’s up to us to pay attention to the invitation. He welcomes us near with abundant love and acceptance. He’s happy to see us.
Let’s pray.
Dear Papa. I don’t want to just go through the motions in my relationship with You. I want to pay attention to the longing in my heart and allow it to move me towards You. Help me get honest about where I’m at with You. Thank you for your love and compassion towards me as I sort all this out. I want more, Papa. I really want more of You. Amen.
Still, struggling?
I have a free helpful five-day devotional: Draw Near Beloved: Five Encouragements to Increase Your Intimacy With God. Each morning, for five days, a short devotional will arrive in your inbox. Leave your name and email so I know where to send it.
