Longing for God

Psalm 42:1-2

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?

There is probably a lot that can be brought out of these verses, and I may return to them eventually and explore them a bit more, but today my question is simple: Do you long for God?

We should long for God more than anything. We should want to know him better and to spend time with him so much more than most of us do. We need to desire to be with God, and we need to be satisfied in him, desiring above all else to be with him and to fellowship with him.

How do we fellowship with God? By praying and reading his word. Prayer is trusting God and talking to him, and reading the bible is listening to his word to us. Do you love God's word so much that you desire to read it above all else since it is part of spending time with God? Do you spend more time praying than playing video games? I know that I don't.

So how can we long for God more? To be honest I'm not entirely sure, but here are some ideas:

• Long for the "living God", not an idol (v2). I find it so easy to put God in a box and not accept or appreciate him for who he is. Know God better and know him for who he truly is. How do we do that? Read his word and pray for help to understand.
• "Put you hope in God" (v5, 11). Trust God and don't worry about the things going on around you. Don't get choked up by the stresses of life, but trust in God who is in control and will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13).
• Spend time meeting with God (v2). As I said before we do this by prayer and reading the bible, and spending time with other Christians, talking about God probably helps too.
• Praise God (v5, 11). Think on all he has done for us (Christians), especially in terms of saving us from our sin and his wrath. Praise him also for his creation and for how he has worked in your life.
• Be honest with God (v9-10). "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). Trust him and be humble enough and honest enough to ask for his help in prayer. This also includes trusting him that he will help in his own perfect timing and his own perfect way.

Do you long for God?

God Bless!
Nat.