I just read the sad
news that one grand jury has acquitted those guilty of killing unborn babies
and selling the body parts while they have indicted the courageous people who
helped to expose this evil.This brought
to mind two verses:Proverbs 17:15 AND
Isaiah 5:20.
Sadie is our family dog.It is obvious what is most important to Sadie. There is something more
important than chasing deer.Even more
important than doggie treats (which are incredibly important!).
The most important thing to Sadie is being with us, her
family, her pack.We see evidence of
this in many ways.Wherever we are in
the house, she wants to be in the house.When we are
getting ready to go on a trip she desperately wants to get in the car.When any one of us has been out of the house
without her, even if we’re only gone for fifteen or twenty minutes, she greets
us at the door when we return with great enthusiasm and an energetically
wagging tail.Even when I’m on a walk
with her in the nearby farm fields early in the morning, she wants to be near
me.Sure, she’ll chase a deer across a
field (and I love to watch her run!), but it is very rare for her to go
somewhere where she cannot see me for more than one or two minutes.Then she comes running back.In fact, it’s because I know she wants to
stay near me that I can let her off the leash in the fields.
So, what’s most important to us?Just as being with her family is the most
important thing for Sadie, being with our God should be the most important
thing for us.I want to be like the
Psalmist, who wrote:
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with
God?
(Psalm
42:1-2)
and also wrote:
My
soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry
out for the living God. (Psalm 84:2)
And I often feel like Moses, who said:
"If
your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.”(Exodus
33:15)
Christ Tomlin captured this theme beautifully in his
song, “I Will Follow”.You can listen to
it here:
I want to go where you go!
Getting Real
Unlike Sadie wanting to be with us, I have conflicting
desires.The best part of me, and the
deepest part of me, really does want to be close to God more than anything.But I have other desires.Wrong desires.And I get so easily distracted by the
world.And my flesh (the sinful part of
me) doesn’t really want to be with God at all.And the Devil is working overtime to keep me as far from God as
possible.
So what do I do when I honestly don’t feel the desire to
be close to God?
Here is what I have found.Sometimes I don’t feel like reading my Bible
or getting down on my knees to pray.But, when I do it anyways, I am always glad afterwards.I honestly don’t think there has been a
single time in my entire life that I took time to pray or took time to read the
Bible and then afterwards felt that it was a waste of time.I’ve felt like I’ve wasted time doing lots of
other things, but I’ve never felt that way about the Bible and prayer.
So the best way to grow in our desire to be with God is
to do things where we experience His presence.I’m talking about prayer and reading the Bible and going to church.The more we are with God, the more we want to
be with Him.
The Vertical Church Band captures the idea that being
with God changes what we seek in their song, “Spirit of the Living God”.
Getting Practical
I want to close with a few practical ideas.
For prayer, try one or more of the following:
1.Start a habit
of having an early morning prayer time.I actually use a stopwatch to make sure I pray at least a certain amount
of time.Sometimes I feel like I’ve been
praying a long time, then I look at my watch and see it’s only been six
minutes.Then I slow down.And start to really feel the Holy Spirit
directing my prayers and speaking to me.
2.Schedule a time
with a friend for the specific purpose of praying together.
3.Start attending
a prayer meeting at your church.
For Bible reading, try one of these ideas:
1.Start reading
through the Bible.There are lots of
reading plans online.
2.Choose one of
the following books or passages and read it once a day every day for a month:
a.1 John
b.Colossians
c.Philippians
d.The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)
As you read the same short book over and over God will show you more and more and His truth will work deeper and deeper into your soul.
The world, your own flesh, and the Devil will try to
interfere.Be strong in Christ!
God Bless You,
Mark (with Hope and Joy!)
Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others . . .
