by Ronnie Hewitt
“The LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore, he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” (Isaiah 30:18)
God’s pursuit of man is a long story, filled with many ups and downs. Ever since man sinned against God in the Garden of Eden, He has been in pursuit of man’s heart. He has longed to be gracious to us and fill us with His compassion. The Lord desires to be gracious to His people and to bless all who long for Him. He is waiting to pour out His blessings on the believing remnant as He restores them to Himself.
The question is: Do we long for God? Does our soul thirsts for Him? This reminds me of the psalmist in Psalms 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?” As water is essential for physical life, so God and His presence are essential for satisfaction and wholeness of life. How often we try to fill our lives with other things in search of wholeness, when only God, our Creator and Sustainer, can fill us. True believers will hunger and thirst for God, and His grace, blessing, and activity in their lives.
I pray you understand, to stop thirsting for God is to die spiritually; therefore, we must not allow anything to diminish our intense desire for the things of God.
I ask you to join me in praying that our longing for God’s presence might be strengthened, that our love for the full manifestation of the Holy Spirit might be greater, and that our passion to see the fulness of Christ’s kingdom and righteousness might be deepened until we cry out to Him in heartfelt thirst.