How much we want something will determine how much effort we are willing to put into it. If we really want to achieve a degree, we will spend endless hours in study and dedication in order to achieve the goal. If I want to run farther or faster, I will make sure I put in the practice and mileage in order to be successful. If I want to become a better husband or father, I spend time with my wife and children – showing them love and caring for them. If we have a deep desire for something, we spend time, effort, money and the like to achieve it.
But I wonder how much we desire God. In today’s focus scripture, this is the first verse of the Psalm. In this one verse, the Psalmist invokes this image of striving for God. The words give you the sense that there is a struggle and much effort put towards being in God’s presence and knowing him more. The idea of seeking, thirsting and fainting remind me there is a deep desire that requires all of the Psalmist. This kind of striving is usually only found when there is a great need, a problem in life. Usually people will seek God when they have exhausted all other avenues. It is as if God is the last choice in a lineup of options.
What if we have this longing to know God daily? What if we strive like this when everything is going great? What might it look like to thirst for God, to seek him with every part of our being? Our lives might look quite different. We may find we see God’s presence abounding. We may realize he has been with us all along. We just might understand what he means when he promised to never leave us. Strive on, my friends. God is here.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 63:1
1 O God, you are my God, I seek you,
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY 