Desperate for His Presence
This week, we are digging deeper into our lifestyles as disciples, specifically regarding prayer and spending purposed time with God. What a wonderful privilege it is to be able to communicate with Him!
Heavenly Father, I come to You in thanksgiving. I go on in this life by Your grace alone. My soul is weary and tired. I am desperate, and I long for You to quench my spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Psalm 42:1-2 (NLT)
1 As the deer longs for streams of water,
so I long for you, O God.
2 I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I go and stand before him?
What comes to mind when you contemplate being in God’s presence?
Now, go deeper. Think about longing for something you need. How do your thoughts change when you think about being desperate for God’s presence?
The psalmist uses a deer panting near a brook to illustrate his longing for God. The deer is exhausted from the hunter’s chase, but it knows the water is a healthy source and will quench its thirst. Animals seem to have an innate sense about healthy water. Many times, they will refuse to drink if they sense contamination.
Our souls thirst, too! We get restless and reach for things that simply leave us wanting more. We all try various methods to satisfy our desires. We want what we want, when we want it. With Amazon, Door Dash, microchips, and delivery drones, we should be satisfied, but we are still the most dissatisfied culture ever in existence. We long for excitement and entertainment. We try to quench our thirsts with exercise, crystals, or even pumpkin spice, but this just leaves us wanting and unfulfilled.
Are you desperate for His presence? Does your soul thirst for Him?
I have a purse chap stick, a car chap stick, a desk chap stick, and a nightstand chap stick. The more I use, the more chapped my lips become. In reality, what I need is probably more hydration. The same holds true for our souls. What we really need is more time in God’s presence. We need a spiritual quench.
The psalmist describes a thirst so deep that nothing earthly can quench it. Saltines offered at the end of a marathon just won’t cut it. It takes a lot of faith to believe at this level. Do you know this God? If you don’t, pray to know Him!
In Ephesians 1:13-14, the Apostle Paul tells us we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. This is wonderful news! We don’t have to go far to be quenched. He is with us constantly, and if we take the time to recognize this, great things can happen. Pay attention! He is there and ready to quench your thirst, just like the deer that no longer pants.
Are you willing to turn to God with your deepest longings and trust Him to truly satisfy your soul?
As we close today, I challenge you to take just five extra minutes every day acknowledging this spiritual necessity for your life. Thank God for your blessings and pray for this kind of thirst for Him!
Remain thirsty and know that He is never far!
Heavenly Father, I come to You in thanksgiving. I go on in this life by Your grace alone. My soul is weary and tired. I am desperate, and I long for You to quench my spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Psalm 42:1-2 (NLT)
1 As the deer longs for streams of water,
so I long for you, O God.
2 I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I go and stand before him?
What comes to mind when you contemplate being in God’s presence?
Now, go deeper. Think about longing for something you need. How do your thoughts change when you think about being desperate for God’s presence?
The psalmist uses a deer panting near a brook to illustrate his longing for God. The deer is exhausted from the hunter’s chase, but it knows the water is a healthy source and will quench its thirst. Animals seem to have an innate sense about healthy water. Many times, they will refuse to drink if they sense contamination.
Our souls thirst, too! We get restless and reach for things that simply leave us wanting more. We all try various methods to satisfy our desires. We want what we want, when we want it. With Amazon, Door Dash, microchips, and delivery drones, we should be satisfied, but we are still the most dissatisfied culture ever in existence. We long for excitement and entertainment. We try to quench our thirsts with exercise, crystals, or even pumpkin spice, but this just leaves us wanting and unfulfilled.
Are you desperate for His presence? Does your soul thirst for Him?
I have a purse chap stick, a car chap stick, a desk chap stick, and a nightstand chap stick. The more I use, the more chapped my lips become. In reality, what I need is probably more hydration. The same holds true for our souls. What we really need is more time in God’s presence. We need a spiritual quench.
The psalmist describes a thirst so deep that nothing earthly can quench it. Saltines offered at the end of a marathon just won’t cut it. It takes a lot of faith to believe at this level. Do you know this God? If you don’t, pray to know Him!
In Ephesians 1:13-14, the Apostle Paul tells us we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. This is wonderful news! We don’t have to go far to be quenched. He is with us constantly, and if we take the time to recognize this, great things can happen. Pay attention! He is there and ready to quench your thirst, just like the deer that no longer pants.
Are you willing to turn to God with your deepest longings and trust Him to truly satisfy your soul?
As we close today, I challenge you to take just five extra minutes every day acknowledging this spiritual necessity for your life. Thank God for your blessings and pray for this kind of thirst for Him!
Remain thirsty and know that He is never far!
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